Your Guardian Angel (With A Shotgun)
by Lynnth2014
Summary: Carol Jenner is engaged to wealthy and charming Ed Peletier, but while away on business, Carol takes a teaching position at the local high school. Daryl Dixon is a high school senior who is forced to stay in school by his older brother, Merle. When Daryl needs tutoring, Carol takes it upon herself to tutor him.
1. Personal Tutor

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Carol Jenner looked up from her computer as her class finished working on their test. She was a new teacher, and this was her first high school science class. She was excited to be teaching. She loved that what she said sank into something of them and helped to become the amazing adults they would be. She loved the feeling she got when she helped a student understand, that look of "Oh, I get it now". It made all of the disrespect worth it. They were high schoolers, and there were always class clowns—or assholes—that felt the need to get attention through cruel means. She would adjust.

It was the middle of 2nd six weeks, and Carol had settled into the role as an authoritative figure. She was looking forward to Thanksgiving break. She loved to cook, and she wanted to sleep in and not deal with the annoying conversations of Shane Walsh and Caesar Martinez. They were typical football players—arrogant and think they're above everyone else because they've won every game this season so far. She was being pressured by the coach to bring up their grades, but they hadn't earned them, and she didn't hand out As. If she did, it would be unfair to all those who studied hard. Students earn As in her classroom, so Mr. Jones can pressure his star players, not her.

Okay. She knew Lilly Chalmers was the history teacher, Andrea Horvath was the college prep English teacher, Ryan Samuels was the geometry teacher, and the principal was Phillip Blake and the vice principal was Dale Horvath, Andrea and Amy's uncle. That meant Tyreese was the guidance counselor and Bob Stookey was the nurse, and Karen was the P.E. teacher and Morgan Jones was the football coach. She made a note to remember that since they were sending her e-mails about upcoming games to see if she could sell tickets, e-mails about the homecoming dance and yearbook stuff. She had so many, she was tempted to delete them all, but she couldn't. They needed her help, and she wasn't that type of person to ignore someone who needed help.

The bell rang, they set their tests on her desk as they left, and she called after them to have a good day. She checked her watch. It was 3:16. She needed to meet Lori at 5:15. She grabbed the papers and stacked them neatly, and she counted, noticing one of them was missing.

She stood up and found the missing paper on the top of a desk in the very back. The young man who sat here was very silent. His name was...Daryl Dixon. He was the only male who wasn't football enthused. He seemed to hate when Mr. Blake would get on the intercom and talk about how they triumphed over some other school's football team. She tended to drown him out, because he went on for days. Most of her class were asleep by the time he got done yapping.

She picked up the paper. It was blank. "Huh." He didn't even write his name, just the date. She wrote a note on the bottom for him to stay after school tomorrow to talk to her, and she graded the others. Shane had put sexual positions down instead of the formula for photosynthesis. His sexual remarks repulsed her more than her fiancé's did.

"Shit." She'd forgotten to call him after lunch. She got out her phone and called him. She left a message when he didn't pick up. "Hey, honey, it's me. I'm sorry. I got busy at lunch. I was put in charge of the yearbook staff since the English teacher has to get surgery. I'll see you this week. I love you, Ed. Bye." She hung up and could feel his response. Oh, well.

"Mr. Jenner?"

She looked over and found Merle Dixon in her doorway. She'd met him once before. Daryl had skipped school, and she called and asked if he was all right. She'd inadvertently ratted him out. Daryl came and apologized in front of the entire class, and she felt so bad. He stuttered and his face was blood red. They class made fun of him, so they had to write "I will not make fun of a fellow classmate" two hundred times or they failed that semester. She had zero tolerance for bullying.

"How can I help you?" She stood up.

"Just came to see where Daryl sits. He left some...stuff here."

"The desk in the back."

"No, I got it." He stopped her when she began to walk over to the desk and get whatever Daryl had left. He pulled out something and quickly hid it. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Uh, you're welcome." She forced a smile, not entirely sure how to respond. She saw the papers that Daryl was supposed to take with him as homework, and she gathered them up and tried to catch up to Merle. She stopped and hid behind the wall when she heard Merle yelling at Daryl by a rusty, blue pickup truck.

"The hell was you thinking, little brother?" Merle seethed.

"You ain't right on that shit," Daryl replied. "I—I was only tryin' to help!"

"Help? Your pussy ass coulda got in some serious shit. You hear me, boy? You leave this shit alone!"

"I wasn't gonna snort it! I was just—I was tryin' to get rid of it. You said you'd get clean."

Merle punched him, Carol covered her mouth as she heard Daryl hit the ground, and Merle grabbed the front of his shirt. "You'd best shut the hell up. Get your ass home and do your damn homework. You hear me?"

"Y—yes."

"Quit your damn stuttering, boy! We talked 'bout this. Dixons don't stutter. Stutterin's for retards and pussies. You got one of them covered, but you keep it up, and I'll beat that stutter out of you."

Daryl nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Pansy-ass." Merle let him go and went to his motorcycle. "Get home, you slow piece of shit." He drove off.

Carol peered over the wall as Daryl climbed shakily to his feet, his nose bleeding over his shirt. She bit her lip, but didn't move. She watched him wipe at the blood, and she took a deep breath before stepping out. "Daryl?"

He flinched and turned away from her.

"I'm glad I caught you. You left your homework in your desk." She stopped in front of him. "Oh, my God." She could see Merle had **_broken_** his nose. "Daryl." She tried to touch him, but he jumped back, narrowing his eyes. "I—Hold on." She set the papers in the car since the window was down, and she went to her car, grabbing the moist towelettes. She pulled one out and tried to wipe at the blood, but he smacked her hand away. "It must hurt. Here. You can do it."

"I'm fine," he murmured. "Go away. I don't need your help."

"But I want to offer it," she replied, smiling. "Here."

He searched her eyes. She was a good woman, really smart, really beautiful. He didn't want her to know, but he had a crush on her. He didn't know why, but he did. He liked everything about her. She had long auburn hair with sparkling blue-gray eyes with really soft-looking pale skin. She always wore expensive-looking shirts and skirts, like today she wore this peach blouse with a gray skirt that was tight at her hips. Hell, even her damn heels made hot. And her smile... "I'm fine." He pushed her hand away. "Get outta my face, lady."

"Fine. Here." She thrusted the box into his hands. "Have a good night, and we need to talk after school tomorrow." She turned and walked back to her classroom.

He watched as her leave, both her curls and her ass bounced as she stormed off, and he shook his head. He would fix his nose when he got home. He tossed her wipes into the trash and got into his truck. Preppy bitch.

– – –

She found Lori in the living room, having a glass of wine ready for her, and she smiled. This was exactly what she needed. Shane wasn't the only pervert who liked math in her class. She sat down on the couch and took the glass.

"Taxing day?" Lori asked.

"That's only half of it." She tucked hair behind her ear. "So, you're dating Rick Grimes, huh?"

She smiled. "Yes. We're having dinner tomorrow night by the lake. It's a picnic."

"Aww."

"I know, but...bugs. I hate bugs." She shook her head. "I'm going to buy one of those bug repellent bracelet things tonight." She ran a hand through her short brown hair. "So, how's Eddie?"

"He would kill you if you called him that to his face." She grabbed a small handful of cheese cubes. "I got busy at lunch and forgot to call, so I don't know." She ate them one at a time.

"Where is he this time?"

"Florida. He has some business deal that needs him down there." She shrugged. "I'm worried."

"You're twenty-two, stop. You had gray hair during college, and it's a fact that gingers so gray before the rest of us, so don't worry."

She sighed. "I didn't tell Ed about the teaching position. I let it slip today when I called him by accident. It was what really happened, and I just...said it."

"Why is that such a big deal?" Lori crossed her legs. "Carol?"

"He wants me to be the stay-at-home-wife type. That's not who I am. I enjoy talking to people and I like helping them. We aren't getting married until May next year, so I figured I'd teach until then, save up money for the wedding. I want to help, but with my parents being Mr. and Mrs. Scientist Jenner and Ed's parents being multimillionaires, there's no need for me to have a job. I—I just want to contribute. Hell, I'll pay for the damn flowers, just let me help in some way. I hate everything being handed to me."

She laughed. "You're the only person in the world who complains about having too much money."

"My grandfather taught me to not let the world spoil me, and it is. I like having responsibilities and bills and loud neighbors who yell at each other at five in the morning over who left the milk out!"

"Tell Ed that. What's the worst thing that can happen?"

She averted her eyes. Ed had come close to hitting Carol countless times, and he was so controlling. He sent her silk robes and nightgowns and blouses, but she felt like he didn't want her to wear them or look nice at all. Most of them when he was in town, he made her wear baggy tees and jeans and pull her hair up. He always was on her about getting her hair cut off. Not a few inches, **_off_!** He wasn't like the Ed she dated in college. She was so young when she went into college, because she graduated early, like her parents had. Anyway, she'd fallen for him, and it was a high school romance only in college. She wasn't a high school heartthrob, she was a geek with the braces and that snort laugh and all. It was bad. Lori was a sophomore, and she de-geek-afied Carol the minute Carol stepped into their room. Carol had given everything to Ed. Her virginity, her heart, her soul—everything. And that was fine, she had no qualms about it, but recently, he's changed. He was distant, secretive, and cold. She was scared that he wasn't the man she thought he was.

"Earth to Carol?" Lori searched her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh. I'm just hungry. I didn't get to finish my lunch."

"I'm hungry too. I'll order some pizza from Rhee's." She stood up and grabbed the phone. "Cheese?"

"Yes, please."

"You never change."

Carol frowned, but Lori was right. In twenty-two years, Carol hadn't changed at all. Her appearance obviously, but nothing else. She still preferred pecans to almonds and chocolate ice cream to strawberry. She was relentless on her opinion that today's music wasn't as good as when her parents were young. She grew up to the oldies and classic piano music. _Stimulates the mind_, as her mother endlessly told her growing up.

"Hey, Carol," Lori called. "Are we still trying that yoga class?"

"On Saturday? Sure. I have nothing planned." Unless eating chocolate-covered chips while watching _Gone with the Wind_ with her miniature schnauzer counts as something planned. "We can make ice cream afterward. Daddy sent it in the mail."

"Did you explain how you broke the other one?" Lori peered in.

"Me? You broke it, and I had to have my counters replaced, because you thought it would be appropriate to have s—"

"That was fun. You should try it."

"Fine, I'll bring over Ed and see how you like the mess."

She laughed. "We paid you back, didn't we?"

"It was still in **_my_** apartment," Carol murmured.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Oh, shut up!" Carol tossed a throw pillow at her and laughed.

Their laughter stopped Ed's ringtone sounded from Carol's purse, Lori cleared her throat and left to get her purse from the kitchen, taking a generous drink from her glass. Carol set her glass down and dug out her phone. Her purse only had lipstick and a wallet inside, so it was easy to find her phone. She answered it.

"H—"

"What the hell was so important you couldn't call?" Ed huffed.

"I—"

"And since when did I say you could have a job?"

"Ed, I just—"

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to your excuses, Carol. When I come back, you'd be smart to not have that job. Incidentally, I won't be home for Thanksgiving, but I do expect a meal to match when I **_do_** come home. Do you understand?" He paused. "Carol?"

"Yes. Yes, I understand. I'm sorry, Ed."

"I'm glad we have the same opinion, darling." It was said through clenched teeth, and Carol didn't know why. "Don't you have something you need to tell me?"

"I love you."

He hung up.

She lowered her phone and shuddered. What the hell was he doing? She got the feeling if she questioned him about his fidelity, it would be the last time she questioned him about anything. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, trying not to cry.

– – –

Daryl stared at the note on the bottom of his test paper, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to burn it or ball it up and throw it at the back of someone's head. It would be more entertaining than Shane talking about banging the PE teacher, Karen Kelly, with Ceasar, and Sasha and Amy gossiped about the new teacher, who was to-tally hot, combined. They were squealing about it, and Carol demanded silence.

"Aww, you jealous, sweetheart?" Shane mused, his football friends chucklin'. "You look mighty fine today, Carol."

"That's Ms. Jenner," she snapped, going off on him as he came up with more and more inappropriate remarks.

Shane was right, though. Carol did look might fine tonight. She wore a long-sleeved white sweater that was tight enough to show the outline to her bra, and he could tell by she kept her computer in front of her chest she knew it showed. She wore dark jeans that allowed Daryl to focus really hard on her, but not on her words.

"That's enough, Shane." She pointed to the door. "You and Mr. Martinez can go see Principal Blake. Now."

"Yes, ma'am." Ceasar hopped and followed Shane out the door.

Murmurs spread in the class, Carol assigned workbook pages on the chapter they'd just started, and the rest of the day ticked by silently. When the dismissal bell rang, Daryl stayed in his seat since Carol had such a trying class, and he didn't want to upset her anymore. The class left, and she motioned for him to join her at her desk.

"Have a seat, please." She moved the chair by her desk closer.

He sat down, not comfortable with how close she'd moved him to her. He could smell her sweet perfume. He kept his eyes to the floor.

She pulled up her grades and looked at him. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?" He didn't look up.

"Look at me, please." She set a hand on his knee, he flinched, and she pulled her hand back. "Your grade in here is a 28." She pointed to the computer screen. "It's going to be a zero if you don't pass the test tomorrow and redo the chapter ten test as well."

He nodded.

"Do you need a study guide? I have one filled out." She reached into the drawer beside him and pulled it out. "Here's one for both tests."

He reached out to take them when she pulled them back. "What?" He met her eyes.

"Do you understand this? I've noticed how confused you look when I go over formulas and equations. You bombed the quiz today."

"Hard to focus," he murmured. "With Shane and them talkin' all the time."

"Do you want me to move you? Or them?"

"No. It's fine."

"No, it's not. Honey, it's effecting your grade. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask."

"I ain't your honey, and I don't need your help." He stood up. "I gotta go."

"Daryl, wait." She caught him at the door. "Do you have access to a computer?"

He shook his head.

"Do you have a free period?"

"First."

"That's my planning. I don't have a class in here, so you can borrow my computer, and I know a few videos that can explain it. If you're a visual learner, they'll help."

"What time would be best for you?"

She smiled. "Right after the first bell. I'm not busy."

He nodded. "Thanks." He walked out.

She felt so happy to have gotten through to him. He was such a quiet young man, and all she wanted to do was help him. Silently. She got the feeling he was bullied. She'd noticed a few times that he wore the same shirt two, three times a week, and his jeans were almost always dirty and torn at the knee. And with his brother... He could use someone to turn to, even if it was only for studying purposes. If he wanted to talk about his home life, she would listen. Her heart went out to him, and she wanted to help. He was smart, but by the way Merle spoke to him, he probably thought he was stupid and worthless and would never be good at anything. Merle was wrong, and she would break her back to prove that to Daryl.

– – –

Daryl sat in his bedroom, staring at the study guides, not understanding any of it. With Merle and one of his many conquests in the living room with the TV blaring, Daryl couldn't focus. He could only hear the sound of race cars and moaning. It was giving him a headache.

Screw this. He tossed the papers off his bed and grabbed his crossbow. He jumped out the window and headed into the woods. He cleared his mind by hunting for his dinner, the cool night air was better than any medication.

After fifteen minutes of hunting, he cooked his squirrel dinner over a fire, and he caught the scent of Carol's perfume for some reason. He remembered how good she looked and the smile she had when he agreed to use her computer to help him understand formulas and equations. He could still feel her hand on his knee. She was a tiny little thing, so worried, so caring. She was engaged, but he knew women. He spent most of his life dealing with his father's women and now he has to deal with Merle's women, so he knew that she wasn't happy. People can't make anyone happy, he learned that. They want and steal and abuse. She had one of those happen to her. He figured abuse by her fiancé.

What bastard would hurt her? She was the only decent person at that school. The other teachers ridiculed him and told him to study, but they never offered to give him the papers he didn't get or the study guides. It's not like he has friends he can borrow them from. He mostly stole papers from Sasha's or Amy's binders and made copies in the library. The librarian was nice enough, let him stay in there during lunch, because he couldn't afford the meals in the cafeteria. Merle only bought beer and cigarettes and on occasion, clothes and shoes. He had to hunt for his meals, but he was good at it, so he only went hungry until he got home from school. He would dropout, but Merle was making him stay. He was the good one. He had to finish high school. Tsk. Bullshit.

He trudged back through the woods toward the trailer, and he climbed back inside. It was silent. Daryl always timed it so that he got back when Merle and his woman were gone. He knew that at midnight Merle went out to the bar and drank until dawn. He could study now.

He studied until 2:30 in the morning then passed out.

––

Carol got a bagel and cream cheese from the cafeteria, and she ran into Lilly. Lilly asked her if she could help with dance team tryouts tomorrow after school. A lot of the girls quit, and they needed some for the big football game coming up.

"Sure. I'd love to." She glanced over and saw Daryl sitting by himself, chewing on his bottom lip. She frowned. Most of the students were digging into the egg, cheese, sausage casserole that was pretty decent. Daryl didn't seem like a vegetarian. He must not be able to afford the lunches. Odd. They have a free meal form. Why didn't he get one? "Lilly, could you excuse me?"

"I'm sorry. I tend to babble a lot." She smiled. "It was nice to officially meet you. Please, if you need anything, let me know."

"I might." She smiled and walked to the office. She spoke to Dale and got a form for Daryl to take him. She went to the teacher's lounge and bought two sodas then she walked back to her classroom as the bell rang. She tucked hair behind her ear and checked her e-mail. Her teacher's e-mail. She found a few requests for football again and there was a meeting tomorrow before school. She got the feeling they were spots crazed. She wasn't fond of sports.

She sighed and opened the diet lemon-lime soda, taking a sip.

There was a tentative knock on her door.

"Come in."

Daryl came inside. "Library's closed," he explained, not wanting her to think this was his first choice.

"Then it's my lucky day." She smiled and typed in the ULR code to the website. "Just start whenever you like. You can adjust the seat, if you like. You're taller than me, so you probably want to be closer to the ground." She stood up. "Oh, you can borrow my headphones." She dug them out of her purse, pulling them free of her music player.

"Thanks." He took them and sat down.

"Do you like root beer?" She gestured to the second bottle of soda. "It fell out. You can have it, if you want. I don't like root beer, but I don't want it to go to waste." She gathered the workbooks for her third period and moved them to the back of the room, placing them on the shelf in alphabetical order. This would be the only time they were in alphabetical order too.

She typed in 3rd period physical science into the label maker, glancing over her shoulder, seeing Daryl watching the video, the soda bottle half-empty. She pulled the labels out and smoothed them onto the shelf, smiling. One wall down...an unknown number to go. That's a joy killer. Yeesh.

She alphabetized all of the workbooks while Daryl watched the videos and did the after-video quizzes. She didn't know that he was also watching her work. Today's outfit wasn't as body-hugging, but with the lifting up and bending down they didn't have to be. Damn, she was beautiful. Every time her skirt slid up when she lifting boxes to the top of her cabinets, he wanted to reach out and touched her skin. He wanted to do a hell of a lot more after that.

"How's it coming?" She stood behind him.

"Fine." He cleared his throat.

"It's almost time for break. Do you want to stop?"

"Could I stay til break's over?"

"Sure, but don't you want to eat?"

He didn't reply.

"Have you eaten today?" She crossed her arms. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"Ain't nothin' to tell."

"I saw you...at your table, and you weren't eating. I got a form that your parents can sign, so you can get free meals from the cafeteria." She picked it up from her desk and handed it to him.

He stood up. "Why do you even care?"

"Because I watched my best friend suffer through high school, because she was poor and people made fun of how her hair wasn't washed and how her clothes weren't new and how she smelled. I was too scared to help her, and three months before graduation...she killed herself." She averted her eyes. "I don't want th—"

"I ain't your charity case," Daryl informed her. "Tsk, I don't need this." He balled it up and tossed it at her. "Bitch."

"Daryl, I didn't mean to offend you, and I am sorry, but you have no right to cuss at me."

"Do you want me to apologize now too? Why? So you can be the hero and straighten up the Dixon problem? Tsk, screw all y'all!"

"Daryl." She pushed the door shut when he tried to pass her. "I'm not going to stand here and take shit from you. I was trying to help. I'm still going to try to help. I'm not a bad person, and this has nothing to do with any of the other teachers."

"Get outta my way."

"It's excuse me."

He searched her eyes. "You're a real piece of work, lady. What do you want me to do? Huh?"

"Two words, very easy. Guess them."

"Move it." He jerked on the doorknob, she tripped back and he left. "Stupid bitch."

She exhaled and stilled her shaking hands. Oh, God. She leaned back against the door. Well, that wasn't how she'd intended that conversation to go. He completely pushed her away, and she wasn't even close. She just wanted to help him. Why was he so reluctant to accept help?

She pushed off the wall and hurried to the guidance office before the bell rang. She asked Tyreese for a copy of Daryl's grades, and since he was such a nice guy, he gave it to her. She thanked him and found his address on the bottom right corner. Maybe his parents are more willing.

After school, she went to the address, and she almost cringed. He lived in a dingy, rusty little trailer, which would be fine, if it didn't look like a murderer lived there. It didn't look safe either. She was almost scared to knock on the door, but she needed to talk to his parents. By the motorcycle parked out front, Merle was home.

She mustered up all of her courage and knocked on the door.

It opened and revealed Merle Dixon, dressed in a wife beater and loose pants, eyes narrow, clearly hungover. God, was he all Daryl had?

"Hello." She smiled. "I came to talk to Daryl's...guardian."

"That's me." He squinted in the sunlight. "The hell you want?"

"Daryl's failing his classes, and I came—"

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Daryl roared, coming up behind her.

"I came to—"

"You're failing?" Merle hissed. "Done lied to me? Get in here. Now!"

"The hell you think you are?" Daryl demanded, getting in her face. "How many times I gotta tell you I don't need your damn help? Get off my property!"

"I just wanted to—"

"Screw you good intentions!" He glared. "Get your uppity ass off our property. Go!"

"No! I came to help you! I will not back down, because you don't like me here." She pushed him off. "Get out of my face. I can hear just fine."

"C'mon inside." Merle stepped aside.

"Merle!" Daryl exclaimed.

"Darylina, be nice to our guest."

He glared, Carol went inside, and Merle closed the door once Daryl was in the trailer. The interior of the trailer wasn't a pit, just a few beer bottles here and there, two worn sofas—probably hand-me-downs—and a semi-new leather chair, coffee table and a TV. It was so empty, though. It felt like no one lived here. It was so cold. Literally too. They must not have heating or air. It was no surprise.

"Can I get you somethin' to drink?" Merle asked.

"No, thank you."

"Have a seat. Make yourself at home. Daryl." Merle stepped back toward Daryl's room.

Carol sat on the couch as they went into Daryl's room and spoke. She didn't see any pictures of their mother or father or even of them. It was so strange. It's like they just...didn't want to see proof of their existence. Or want anyone to know they were here. It made her shudder.

"Why's your teacher here?" Merle asked. "'Cause if you is failin' and you done lied to me, I'll beat your ass from here to Montana."

"I—I was bringin' 'em up. I was."

"Are you kiddin' me?" Merle yelled. "The hell are you doin' in class?" He smacked in in the head. "There anythin' in here? Huh?"

"Keep your voice down. She's gonna hear you."

"Oh, she your girlfriend now?"

"Shut up, Merle." He kept his voice low, because he knew Carol could hear them through the thin walls.

"You screwin' her? That how you passin'?"

"No! I—She's just some busybody, probably got no life, that's why she's steppin' all over mine. Let me deal with her."

"Aww, you're sweet on her then?" Merle purposefully spoke loudly. "Got a crush there, Darylina?"

"Merle!"

He chuckled. "She get you hard?"

"Merle, you'd best shut the hell up!"

He chuckled even harder. "Let me get down the family albums for your little girlfriend."

Daryl tackled him, and they wrestled around the room, Merle laughed at Daryl's anger, and Carol jumped when they tumbled out into the living room. Merle pushed Daryl off and stood up, Daryl glared and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Are...you two okay?" She glanced between them.

"We're fine." Merle chuckled. "You comfy, sugar?"

"More or less. I'd like to discuss Daryl's grades." She crossed her legs. "I have to meet a friend for dinner, and I don't mind being late, but I'd like not be hours later."

"Right. Darylina, do your homework."

"What? No, I'm stayin'."

"Dar—"

"I'd like him to stay," Carol softly interrupted. "It may inspire him to actually do his work."

"Ass kisser," Daryl murmured, dropping on the worn down couch opposite her, resting is feet on the coffee table.

"So, what're his grades?"

"58, 62, 45 and 28. That's English, geometry, environmental science and history. He's already retaking environmental science, because he failed it his freshmen year. He's a senior now, and he can't afford to fail. Unless he wants to repeat this year."

"I'm right here," Daryl informed her. "You ever consider you ain't a good teacher?"

She met his eyes. "I'm the easiest environmental science teach at the high school."

"Is you now?" Merle asked.

"And I've given you copies of notes and worksheets, and I found them balled up in the trashcan at the end of class. I've helped you as much as I can while in school. Why don't you study? You failed both tests today."

"Got shit on my mind. Let me alone. You don't know me."

"Darylina, calm down and get a damn tampon." Merle turned to her. "How can the boy bring up his grades?"

"There's after school tutoring."

"Hell, no!"

"With a group?" Merle asked, ignoring Daryl.

"Yes. Lilly oversees it. I can stay late to help, if you'd like." She was looking at Daryl.

"No, I wouldn't." He glared.

"Daryl don't do good in groups," Merle informed her. "Kid's got the attention span of a guppy. There anything else?"

"Umm, I can study with him at my place. It'd be just us, and it's really silent, so he can focus. You'd have to write a note to allow him to be there." Probably. "If it comes to that then... What?"

"I'm willin' to pay for him to graduate. When can you start?"

She laughed nervously. She hadn't expected them to agree. It was insanity, but plenty of teachers had their studies over. Mostly for clubs and sports though. Why did she have to open her mouth? "Friday. I'm free Friday. We can go over the tests, and I'll give you a few practice sheets too."

"What time?"

"Right after school. The sooner the better...right?" She swallowed. "I'll give you my address." She dug through her purse and grabbed piece of paper and a pen. She wrote out the address. "And my cell phone number, in case you get lost."

Daryl swallowed hard. He did need help, but he hadn't expected Carol to offer this. Going over to her house, spending hours with her alone, studying? It was like he was dreaming. Only Carol wasn't naked, and Merle was there. It was...unreal. Why did she offer this? Did she really see him as such a screw up? Did she really feel the need to spend hours shoving information down his throat? Either she needed a hobby or she really, really, really wants him to study. Could be both. Don't most women get pregnant? Why couldn't she?

"So, Friday 3:30? It takes about fifteen minutes for me to get home, but I have to do some things, so I'll meet you there." She turned on her heel and left, chewing on her lower lip.

"Don't get no ideas, little brother." Merle leaned in the doorway as Daryl watched Carol walk off.

"Ideas? You're the one who keep pressin' the matter. I can pass without her damn help."

He chuckled. "Got it bad, huh, little brother? Gonna give her your V-card?"

"Shut the hell up!" Daryl shoved him and went to his room.

"Oh, c'mon, Darylina, don't be that way. I'm sure she'll deny you before that." He listened. "You'd best not be climbin' out that window, son. I'll kick your teeth in."

He groaned. "Whose side you on?"

"Yours, little brother," he whispered, closing the door. Someone had to look after his worthless ass, and Merle had his own life. Daryl needed to clean up, be a man, and get an honest job. Someone had to bail his ass out of jail. Merle was surprised no one had found out what he did. Twenty-five to life, that was the price of what happened, and Merle wasn't serving time. Not for that.


	2. Locker Room Drama

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Why? Why? Why? Why?" Carol groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Tell me why!"

Lori laughed. "Calm down, honey. You're a good person. He needs someone like you in his life."

"But at my home?" She stood up and paced the living room. "No. It's not... It's not about what people will think, it's about what Ed will think. His uncle stops by to see me every day. Lori, help me!"

"I can't. I sucked at environmental science. My teacher was boring, had no...passion for...well, life."

"Am I not passionate enough? Is that why he can't learn? Maybe it is me." She crossed her arms. "Am I a bad teacher?"

"No. I've seen you. If you get any more passionate, it'll come flow outta your ass."

"Thank you for the imagery." She sat down on the coffee table. "Maybe I'm just overreacting. Daryl's not a thief or a rapist, so it'll be fine. I see him tomorrow night. Should I make him something to eat? He doesn't eat at school, so... I'm making this into a date. How do I do this? I don't tutor!"

"It's like teaching, only with less students and it's slower. Take your time."

"Okay. I can do this. Tutoring. I used to...confuse eight graders with simple trig. What if I only confuse him more?"

"Then you take off your bra, he'll focus real hard on you then," she mused.

"Ha ha ha, my side is splitting. Oh, no, that's my confidence. Yeah, it's dying." She leaned back and screamed into her hands. "I need alcohol. Maybe drunk me is stupider."

"Ha! You explained the process of genetic engineering of...something. I blacked you out for an hour. You're worse drunk. Trust me."

"Lori, you know me, I have an inclination to stress the hell out! I want to help him, but how do I do that without just passing him along?"

"Honey." Lori grabbed her wrists and hauled her up. "Just see how it goes. Stimulate his mind with classic music. Bach, if you feel the need."

"Okay. Maybe I am panicking for no reason." She exhaled. "I gotta meet my parents for dinner. Lock up when you leave." She went to her room, removing her belt. It would be fine. She needed to just calm down. Daryl was smart, and he would understand this. Noises distract him, so when he's in a quiet setting, he'll do great. All she had to do was give him a nudge, and he would do the rest.

––

Daryl stared at the inside of her house, Carol removed her coat and noticed him gaping at her stuff. She smiled and called to her dog to make sure Lori had let her back inside. She ran to them, sliding on the wood floor and crashing into Daryl's legs.

"She's clumsy." Carol scooped her up. "This is my baby, Karma."

"You named your dog Karma?"

"Do you have a problem with my dog's name?" She arched a brow.

"No."

"Good. You can take your jacket off." She set Karma down and Karma smelled Daryl. "The dining room's this way. I'll get some drinks, and we can study. Do you water or ice tea or—Why don't you just look in my fridge? I have a lot of beverages."

"Water's fine."

"No, I need to get rid of before they expire, so help yourself." She turned and went to her bedroom. She got on her laptop and printed out the work she had e-mailed while at work. She gathered them and a few others she'd taken home the other night and found Daryl playing with Karma in the living room. "She doesn't take to men that fast." She's bitten Ed so many times. Carol had caught Ed threatening Karma a few times, even spanked her a little too hard, and Carol had told him to stop and to let her handle her dog. Ed would get this look, like he wanted to punch her lights out.

Daryl looked up as Carol shuddered. "Y'all right?"

"Uh-huh." She bent down. "You'll have to play by yourself. We have work to do." She took the stuff slipper and threw it into the living room. "C'mon."

He stood up and followed her into the dining room. "You got a nice place."

"Thanks." She set her materials down. "Let's get some snacks, and then I'm going to be on top." She led him to the kitchen, and he'd never seen so much nice things in his life. "What?"

"Nothin'." He closed his mouth.

"Okay, I have five different types of soda, so help yourself. Do you like popcorn or chips more?"

He shrugged. He didn't want to admit he'd never had popcorn or chips before. Everything he'd ever eaten was from the woods or the water. He'd never even been into a grocery store. "Either's fine."

"Sour cream and onion or...Damn it, Lori ate all of my—er, never mind." She stepped into the pantry and looked for the second bag of salt and vinegar chips. "Lori." She groaned and crossed her arms. She weights nothing and eats everything. So polite. She left a note.

"You don't gotta do this." Daryl stood in the entrance of the pantry. "I don't needa snack."

"Ever think I do?" She bent down and picked up the note. She stood up and walked over to him. "Do you like pizza?"

"Who don't?" He'd gotten pizza when the teachers threw parties. He did like that.

"I'll order some. I missed lunch, and don't feel bad for eating it, because if you don't, I won't fit into my wedding dress."

He laughed.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"Do you think I'm fat or is the idea of me in a wedding funny?"

"Sh—shouldn't we be studyin'?"

She laughed. "Good way to avoid a land mine." She met his eyes, and she'd never noticed how blue they were. They were beautiful, and when he laughed, it really brightened up his features. He was quiet handsome. She blushed, realizing she was staring at him. "Umm. Did you decide on a drink?" She cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I got lemon-lime. Thanks."

"No problem." She grabbed a bottle of water and returned to dining room. "I printed off some worksheets, and they're kinda kiddy, but they are helpful. I hope I don't offend you."

He shrugged.

She sat down, he stiffened as she did, because it was in the seat beside him. She tucked hair behind her ear and flipped through the papers. "We'll start with this one." She set the study guide on the table. "We'll go over it, I'll test you with a blank, and if you want, you can take it tonight."

He nodded.

They went over the study guide, he kept staring off into space, so she took it ten questions at a time. He concentrated hard, and she appreciated that. She was giving him five bonus points on both tests for his cooperation. He took the first test that night with the bonus points, made an eight-five. He was completely astonished when she told him the grade, and she was happy for him. She doubted he'd ever gotten praise over the little things. She was going to start praising him.

It was nearly ten when they finally finished, Carol felt instantly guilty she'd kept him so late, and she'd only just ordered the pizza. She gathered up the papers, Daryl took the empty glass to the kitchen for her, and her phone rang. It was Ed.

Daryl stopped when he heard Carol talking.

"I—Ed, please, calm down. It's not what you think." She sounded scared. "I—Yes, of course, I quit, but Lori and I got so busy. Shopping for the wedding. Uh-huh." She paused. "That's great! No, I am excited. You're coming home this weekend. What's not to be happy about?" She paused. "Of course. I have a surprise for you." She giggled, and Daryl fell pulled in by the sound. "No. Really? Over the phone?"

Was he about to overhear phone sex? With Carol on this end? Holy shit.

"Not happening." Damn. "I'll give you a hint though. It's black, tight and it's cut down to there."

He loved the sound of her voice right now. Teasing, a little husky—sexy. He could see what she was talking about, and he'd seen plenty of lingerie when Merle's women mistook his bedroom for Merle's, and he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I love you too. Uh-huh. Goodbye." She hung up and sighed. Busybody. "Hey, Daryl?"

He jumped back when she opened the door. "What?"

"The pizza will be here in ten minutes. You can stay until then, if you want. I owe you food. I'm sorry I got so distracted."

"It's fine. I'm not hungry, but thanks." He started to walk around her when his stomach growled, giving him away.

"Not hungry, huh?"

He blushed at the look she gave him. "Don't wanna impose."

"It's not an imposition. I offered, so get comfy. I need to feed Karma. That always sounds so weird. Doesn't it?"

His lips tugged. "A bit."

"I thought so. Living room's through there. No shoes on the furniture though." She called Karma and held the kitchen door open as she scampered inside. "Let me see. Chicken, fish or beef. I swear you eat better than me sometimes."

He smiled at her conversation then went to the living room. It was more fancy with a big-ass flat screen TV. He avoided the white sofa and sat down in the leather chair. It wasn't used often, because it still felt new. It was a man's chair. Ed's, no doubt. He must be away a lot. That meant Carol was left alone a lot. Until this weekend. It made Daryl sick to think of someone else with her. He didn't even know her, but he did like her. What wasn't to like? She was beautiful, intelligent, good company and persistent as hell. He was glad she was like that, though. He wanted to get to know her better, but he didn't want her to know him. That wouldn't be... No.

He stood up and looked at her pictures. She had a lot of pictures with a skinny brunette. They were acting silly in most of the pictures, and she looked about his age. He was eighteen, and she looked eighteen, but the woman looked twenty. Guess either she looks younger than her age or she skipped a few grades. He came across one of her smiling with a man wrapped around her. She was so happy, it was all over her face, but him. He seemed darker, more possessive. He had a slight beard and short hair, holding her at the waist tightly, not smiling happily, more...like he owned her and everything around him. It was disturbing.

"Oh, God, don't look at that one. I look horrible." She took the picture and set it back. "That's Ed, my fiancé. This is my best friend, Lori. I've known her since my first year of college. As you can see, I was a complete geek. Seriously, I snort when I laugh too hard. It's embarrassing."

He half-smiled. "Are y'all happy?"

"Who? Me and Ed?" He nodded. "Yeah. I think we are." She bit her lip and crossed her arm. "It's hard. He works out of the state, so I'm here alone a lot with Karma. It's lone... I'm giving you my entire life story." She laughed. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. Like to learn more 'bout you," he murmured.

"Me too. You're very smart, smarter than you give yourself credit for. Keep it up, and we can get you into college."

"We?"

"Caught that, huh? I'm willing to help you with your other classes. I have a lot of degrees, and I'm not bragging, because it proves one, I have no life, and two, I love school. If you need the help, call me."

The doorbell rang, she excused herself and answer it. She paid Glenn Rhee and took the pizza into the kitchen, taking three slices out for herself, and Daryl eyed her as she dug through the fridge and pulled out a six pack of lemon-lime soda.

"Merle's probably worried about you, so here. Food to go. Drinks too."

"No. No, I can't—"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Daryl." The way she said his name made him want to shudder. "I want you to take this and get some sleep. We have one more test, and I will prep you if you'd like. Say during first period?"

"I would, but you don't gotta do this."

"Again, I have a wedding, and I can only cheat so many times before I can't lie to myself and say it's not cheating."

He smirked. "Thank you then."

She walked him to the door. "Have a nice night. Drive carefully!" She watched him drive off, and she closed the door, locking up. Time for a bath and then bed. She stretched her arms. "Heh." Daryl Dixon is such a sweetheart. She was quite fond of him. It bit that they only had one and half more six weeks together. Oh, well. Maybe he'll retake biology. Is it wrong that she hoped so? Heh.

– – –

Carol stared off into space at the meeting Phillip had called about someone vandalizing the boys' bathroom on the main hallway again, Lilly was on her phone next to Carol, wanting to be somewhere else, and Andrea and Karen were listening so intently, hanging on his every word. It would be creepy if Carol cared enough to look up or listen to him.

"Ms. Jenner?" Ryan repeated for the seventh time. "Ms. Jenner?"

"Carol." Lilly kicked her ankle.

"Huh? Yes?" She stood up.

"I was asking you about Daryl." He met her eyes. "I hear you're tutoring him. I assume he isn't just failing my class then?"

"He doesn't even bother to come to my class," Andrea replied. "He just...wanders around campus."

"He's probably getting high in the locker rooms." Karen crossed her legs. "I've caught him smoking in there a few times."

"That's not surprising. He thinks he's above the rules, just like his brother."

"No, Merle was worse," Ryan assured them. "Do you remember when we went to school with him?"

"Why is he even in high school?" Andrea asked. "Honestly? If he were any more dense, I'd think he had a learning disability."

"He probably does. He can't even spell commandeer." Karen snickered.

"Can you spell bitch?" Carol hissed. "Because you should be able to since you are one."

"Excuse me?" Karen stood up. "What did you just say to me?"

"Daryl has a hard time learning, because you all don't demand respect from your students! You let them yell and walk all over you! No one can concentrate in that type of environment."

"Well, the other kids seem to be doing just fine with it." She crossed her arms. "And we don't demand respect? We may not, but at least we don't dress like we're about to screw all the males in our classroom."

"Excuse me?" Carol hissed. "I do not dress—"

"You dress like a provocative slut!" Karen hissed.

"Karen, stop it." Andrea stood up. "Enough. We have to get to our classrooms."

"No, Carol Jenner wants to talk. Let's talk." Karen leaned over the table. "The only way Daryl's going to pass his classes are by sexual favors and bribery. Which do you like?"

"Daryl Dixon is an incredibly intelligence young man," Carol spat. "And he'll pass with that alone. I'm not a slut, because I want to help him pass. None of you—even you, Lilly—have raised a finger to help him. You just let ignore and degrade him. That's not teaching, that's personal bias."

"I have nothing against Daryl," Lilly told her.

"Do any of you even want to help him?" Carol demanded.

"I think you have him under control." Karen picked up her gym bag.

"I'd appreciate copies of the work you're doing," Carol told Andrea, Ryan and Lilly. "If you won't help him, I will."

"I'll send them to you via e-mail." Andrea gathered her belongings and left.

"Here." Ryan set them on her binder. "It's for this week. He'll need to bring his grade up, and I've given him extra credit to help. It's in there."

"Just stop by and I'll get 'em for you." Lilly followed Ryan out the door.

She exhaled deeply and set the papers inside her binder, grabbing her book and heading for the door. She stopped by Karen, who was checking out some book on healthy habits.

"Sexual favors? Why did that came out of your mouth?" Carol asked sweetly. "Shane put that in your head?"

She sent Carol a hateful glare.

"Tell your husband I said hello." She smiled and left the library. One last thing to worry about. She exhaled deeply and went to her room, longing to be away from the tension and drama. Good Lord, they were mostly assholes. If they keep trying to fail him, she would step in even more. He didn't deserve that, and Carol would ensure he graduated with the rest of his class and got into a decent college. He was a good young man, and the tide just needed to be with him.

––

Carol helped Daryl with his test in first, and he took the test then. She couldn't wait to see his face when she told him he made a ninety—without bonus points. She had to sit through two classes, and like the nerd she was, she was too excited to hide it. Her classes thought she was insane or pregnant or just got laid. She really hoped insanity. She would. Everyone's a little crazy, though. Right? Or is it just her? Ooh, scary place. Don't go there.

As her fourth period slowly trickled in, Carol took attendance, and she saw Daryl wasn't there yet. She tried not to be worried, and she made sure they were all on task. She gave the notes, and made copies for Daryl.

With fifteen minutes left in class, Shane asked to use the bathroom. She didn't let them leave once it was past three. Student tend to not come back. He snickered and told her it was her fault then took his seat. She called in Lilly to watch her class, and she went to the boy's bathroom. She had Ty search it, but no one was there. The bell rang, and she had a bad feeling. She decided to check the locker rooms.

"Coach?" She peered into the boy's locker room. "Coach Jones?"

Nothing.

"Coach? You down here?"

When he didn't reply, she turned to leave, but a muffled grunt made her stop. She hurried inside and heard water running. She saw boots in the shower, and when she went inside, she found Daryl beaten and bound.

"Oh, my God!" She dropped to her knees and pulled at the duct tape, he whimpered and tried to get away, but she gently touched his face. "It's me, Daryl. It's Carol, baby." She gently pulled the tape from his eyes and mouth. "Shh." She stood up and turned the water off. "What happened?"

He stuttered horribly, shaking from the ice cold water they'd had pouring down on him. "C—C—C—Carol?"

"I'm here." She removed the tape from his wrists and ankles. "I'll be right back."

"Do—don't g—go."

"I'm not letting them get away with this. I'll be right back." She went to the basketball office and called the principal and he said he'd deal with it. She grabbed a few towels and found Daryl coiled up. "Here." She unraveled the towel and pulled it over his shoulders, he shuddered and she rubbed his arms. "God, you're freezing." She grasped his face. "I am so sorry. I—I should've called for you."

"It—it—it's all r—right."

"No, it's not." She held back tears. "This is not okay. It's not all right." She unraveled the other towel and covered his legs. "Phillip's coming down here shortly. I'll get something for you to wear. Warm you up."

"N—no." He stood up suddenly. "I—I—I gotta go home."

"Daryl, that's—"

"No, it's not. I gotta go home." He spoke slowly to keep the stutter back.

"Fine, but I am not letting you leave in soaking wet clothes. C'mere." She led him to the basketball office and grabbed some random recently bought sweats. "These should fit. I'll pay for them. You change."

He went into the bathroom and changed, she gave him a bag for his clothes, and she waited for him outside, in case he needed to talk. She waited twenty-five minutes, but he still hadn't come out. She went to check on him, but all there was were the sweats she'd gotten him.

"What?" She frowned. How long had he snuck out of here? She shook her head and decided to check on him. She drove to his house, his truck was there, and Merle's bike wasn't. She knocked and waited. "Daryl, I know you're in there. Please, let me in. I'm concerned."

"Ain't lock," he said through his window.

She opened the door and went inside, going for his room since he wasn't making a move to come to her. She came into a dark room, and when she tried the switch, nothing came on. She frowned.

"Didn't pay the bill. Gotta a lantern somewhere."

She felt her way around the door and tripped over something, landing on the bed, her head smacking into Daryl's forehead. "Ow. I'm sorry." She rubbed her head. "What is that?"

He tensed as her body fell onto his, and there was no pain. He'd felt worse, and her body being on top of him was one of the better feelings. She smelled good, like lemons. He tried to calm himself, but he was a teenager, and she was right there. "I—don't know."

"Is that...a crossbow?" She sat back, and he was glad they meant two different things. "Oh, I think I found the lantern."

"Lemme have it."

She handed it to him, he turned it on dimly, and she saw the full damage. He had a black eye, a busted lip, bruises all over his neck and arms. "Daryl, what did they do to you?"

He didn't look at her. "Got sent to the gym for third since the teach is a volleyball couch too. Shane and his boys caught me, beat the shit out of me and left there, tied up."

"Caught you doing what?"

His lips tugged. "Smokin'. It's the new D.A.R.E program, ain't you heard?" He shook his head. "Pussies couldn't even fight me til I was bound."

"Don't say that word, please."

"Why? It's my house, can say what I want, do what I want."

"It is, but I'm asking you—"

"The hell I care. Why're you here? I didn't ever asked you to come here."

"I'm your friend, Daryl."

"You don't know me to be my friend. I don't got friends, 'cause I don't want 'em. Got Merle, don't need no one else."

"Go ahead."

"Go ahead and what?" He searched her eyes. "What, you gonna make this 'bout my daddy or some crap like that? Tsk, you don't know jack. Get out."

"No."

"Get. Out."

"I'm not letting you pull away. I know you're hurting, let me—"

"You ain't my anything. Get your shit and get out of my house."

"Are you going to make me?" She moved back on his bed and crossed her arms. "Go ahead. Make me. Hit me, yell at me, shake me—I don't care. Try and move me, because that's the only way I'm leaving."

"You ain't my mama, ain't my kin. What do you want from me? Huh?"

"I want you to look me in the eye and talk to me. That's all I want."

"And tell you what? I got no parents? No food in the house? No new or clean clothes?" He shook his head. "You and I don't mix, just get out and leave me alone."

"You still owe me those other classes. This morning? You promised. I'm holding you to that." She reached into her purse and handed him her mini first aid kit. "Use it, please. I'll feel better. I'll make sure Shane and the others are punished."

"Ain't worth it. They'll get out of it. Jocks always do."

"Not if I have anything to do with it." She squeezed his hand when he took the kit. "I'll be your friend, even if you don't need one. I like you, Daryl. I won't let you suffer, because of jerks at school."

He looked at her. "Like you too. You're a good teacher. I'm just stupid. Don't blame yourself for my stupidity."

"You aren't stupid. You're intelligent. You just... You're not stupid. Stop saying that too."

"I—"

The door flew open, the power suddenly came back on, and they groaned at the sudden light. Merle stood in the doorway and blinked in surprise.

"Damn, y'all ready to go. Shoulda put a sock on the door, I'd let y'all alone."

She blushed and stood up. "We aren't—"

"Don't explain nothing, sugar. Boy's handsome, like his brother, handy too. I'll be outta your hair soon. Daryl, don't go down first." He closed the door and left.

"Asshole." He shook his head, his cheeks red. "Sorry 'bout that."

"I—have no words. Is he always like that?" She turned to him, and he nodded. "How are you related? You don't seem anything like him."

"Brothers. We're more alike than you can know."

"Okay then." She bent down and pushed his bangs back, and he could see into her shirt. She was wearing a purple lace bra. "You're going to be sore tomorrow. You have bruises on your bruises. God, I hate that this happened to you."

"Yeah, real shame." That shame was that he couldn't strip her clothes off and throw her on this bed and just—

"If you need to see a doctor, let me know. I have a good one, and he's willing to help with the bill." She stood up. "Have a good weekend. I hope to see you on Monday." She turned and left.

"Done already?" Merle adjusted his sleeve. "He come fast or is you easy?"

She crossed her arms. "No, I'm just good with my tongue." She rolled her eyes at his expression. "As if! Daryl's my student, and I'm a concerned teacher. Get sex out of your head, and you'll see there's more to the world than bars and sluts."

"No, thank you, sugar. You live in your world, I'll live in mine."

"Okay, have a nice night. Your baby brother was beaten up by Shane Walsh and Caesar Martinez. Ask him before you leave. Take care of him, please. He's...really in bad shape. If either of you need anything, let me know, okay? He has my number, and I've nothing to do this weekend." She nodded at him then left, finding the text she knew Ed would send on her call phone.

**_Sorry, babe, got tied up at work. I'll try for next weekend. Love you, Ed._**

"Likely." She shook her head and deleted it, sending him a simple "Okay" before getting into her car and going on.

––

No one called her all weekend, she balanced her checkbook, graded her work, and she stared at the walls. She had no life. Wow, she really needed to get one. Could she buy one? She probably could buy fifteen thousand and then some. No one is as bored as she is right now. Ugh.


	3. No Pity

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

No one called her all weekend, she balanced her checkbook, graded her work, and she stared at the walls. She had no life. Wow, she really needed to get one. Could she buy one? She probably could buy fifteen thousand and then some. No one is as bored as she is right now. Ugh.

– – –

Carol spoke with the principal on Monday morning, but he showed her footage of only Daryl going into the locker room. She stared at it, and it didn't look doctored at all. It was just of Daryl pushing a cart of basketballs into the locker room, and he left perfectly uninjured.

"What about near three? I went down there. Where's that footage?"

"Mr. Jenner." Phillip met her eyes. "Shane Walsh and Ceasar Martinez didn't have anything to do with this. Daryl's a troubled young man, and he probably did it for attention."

"Excuse me? What person beats himself up, tapes his ankles, wrists, eyes and mouth just for attention? Honestly? Daryl doesn't even like attention!" She was getting angry, and it was evident on her face.

"He's done this before," Phillip informed him. "Sophomore year. He gave himself a bloody nose and a black eye, and Shane was suspended for two weeks. We found the footage of Daryl hitting himself. Would you like to see that too?"

"Yes, I would actually."

Phillip pulled it up, and she stared in surprise as she watched Daryl punch himself in the face. She closed her eyes before his fist hit, and he stopped the video. She opened her eyes and closed her mouth.

"Do you need anything else, Mr. Jenner?"

"No. No, I don't." She left his office and went to her room. Daryl beat himself up? What? She couldn't believe it. He didn't seem like the type. Why would he ever want to get Shane in trouble for something he didn't do? Shane was repulsive and crude, but there was no reason for him to attack himself for the sake of disliking Shane. Daryl said he and Merle were alike in ways she didn't know about. Merle pulled a lot of stunts when he was in high school. Carol was a freshmen when he was a senior, so she heard a lot about him, and he was vulgar. She really hoped he didn't teach what he did to teachers and students when he went to school to Daryl. If so, she may have to rethink home tutoring.

She sat down and found a bagel with cream cheese on her desk with a note from Lilly attached. She stared at it, not at all hungry. She was trying to figure out how Shane got in and out of the boy's locker room without being seen by any of the cameras. How did he get Daryl inside as well? Was there a secret tunnel? A—Window. There were windows in the locker room. Surely big enough for someone Shane's size to fit through. She would have to check after school, because Coach Jones had a first period physical education class, they would be dressing out, and he locked up the locker rooms to prevent thieves from taking any personal items.

She crossed her legs and rubbed the back of her neck. Why would Daryl physically harm himself just to get someone in trouble? That doesn't make any sense. He's a good young man, so why? What the hell is going on with him?

She couldn't get an answer, because Daryl didn't come in that morning. She was disappointed in him, but she couldn't force him to pass the class. He could always... No. He couldn't do credit recovery in summer school. It's a hundred dollars per class, and he couldn't afford a five dollar t-shirt. She could pay for him, but that would be a handout, and he didn't seem to like those. She smiled. _Like herself_.

"You're smiling in a room by yourself. Should I have knocked?" It was Lori.

"What are you doing here?" She uncrossed her legs and stood up.

"Lunch." She held up a plastic bag. "Fried chicken, boiled potatoes with garlic butter and steamed carrots. I put some fresh fruit in there too."

"Thanks. I forgot about my lunch." She took the bag and set it in her fridge. "Why are you wearing my boots?"

"Because I ruined my tennis shoes with mud the other night, and I love these. You never wear them."

"I wear them all the time." She never wore them outside of her bedroom. Ed loved them, said they were his favorite, along with the leather knee-high military boots. "Take them off. You ruined my stilettos."

"Fine, give me your heels." She unzipped them.

"Lori." She removed them, swapped with Lori and slid the suede, knee-high boots. "How big are you feet?"

"I don't know. Let me kick you in the face and see how big that bruise is." She shook her head and laughed as Carol giggled. "Bitch."

"You're the one who wore my screw-me boots."

"God, you and Ed didn't—?" She nodded. "Excuse me while I go get my legs waxed—**_off_**."

"I'm kidding. He likes the black ones, not the gray ones. See, stay out of my closet."

"Trust me, I will." She shuddered. "I'm going to work now."

"Tell Rick I said hello."

"I will." She pushed the door open still facing Carol, and there was a thud. "Did I just kill one of your students?"

Carol opened the door and found Daryl on his butt, groaning. "Daryl!" This was not a good week for him. If he didn't self-inflict his injuries. "Are you okay?" She crouched down.

"Friggin' peachy." He pulled his knee and glared at Lori. "What're you lookin' at?"

"A twit with a wit."

"Lori, please." Carol shook her head. "I'll call you."

"Yes, ma'am." She stepped over Daryl's legs and walked off.

"I'm sorry. Did you hurt anything?"

"Else, you mean?" He stood up. "I came to get my work. I ain't gonna be here fourth."

"Why not?" She rose. "Doctor's appointment?"

"Why don't you keep your nose outta my business," Daryl replied. "Just need my work."

She forced a smile and went over to her desk, looking for the folder for fourth. "This will be due tomorrow at the beginning of class."

"Okay." He crossed his arms as she looked for the folder. He chewed on his thumbnail, studying the floor, peering up once and seeing her bending over her desk. Her dress slid up, revealing the back of her thighs. She had such flawless skin, he noted. What was **_wrong_** with her? Anything? Bitch had money, a man, parents, a nice home. Why? She did she do to deserve any of that? She was just born into it. He would probably never make a one fourth of what she had stored away in his entire life. What did he do to deserve the shitty end?

"All right. These are the notes, and the pa—Daryl?" She frowned at the sad look in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Don't matter." He snatched the papers. "See you." He walked out.

She exhaled. Hopefully, he reads the note and comes to study on Tuesday. If not, she'd see him next year.

––

Daryl tossed her notes into the fire and watched it burn. He flipped through his student file he'd stolen from the office, and he tossed it into the fire as well. He was done with school. He watched the angry red flames devour the folder within seconds, and all he could think about was Carol's red hair. She was probably be the only—No, that didn't matter anymore. He wasn't a student anymore, and he would never see her again.

– – –

Carol got extremely concerned when Daryl kept missing school. He had to be out of parents notes, so on the afternoon before Thanksgiving break, she went to the office to call the number on his file. There was no file when she looked. She remembered Daryl had a bulk in his shirt the last time she saw him. He must've taken it. She could see him burning it. Dixons and fire. Merle nearly burn down the chemistry lab when he was here. Daryl probably got that from him too.

She drove to his trailer, and he was there. He sat on the steps, smoking and drinking. She marched over to him and glowered venomously.

"Hey, pretty lady." He'd just finished the last of a twelve-pack.

"Give me that." She snatched the cigarette and smashed it out into the ground.

"Hey!" He shot up. "The hell you think you're doin'?"

She groaned at his alcohol-soaked breathe. "We need to talk." She covered her nose.

"No, we don't needa do nothin'. Why do you keep comin' back?"

"Because you need an authoritative figure in your life, and I guess that'll have to be me."

He narrowed his eyes. "It ain't just that."

"Yes, it is." She moved her hand. "God, what have you been drinking?"

"Can I get you anything?" He was mocking her. "Beer? Wine? Champagne?"

"Don't be unpleasant."

"You wanna bring pleasure into this?" He tsked. "Naughty."

"What?" She stepped back as he approached her. "Daryl, stop."

"Stop what?" He stumbled and knocked her against his truck, she groaned as he fell against her, his arms trapping her. "You get dressed up for me?" he murmured, her scent overwhelming him.

"Daryl, please." She met his eyes. "You don't want to do anything stupid."

"I ain't."

"Then move back." She kept calm. "Let me get you some coffee."

"I don't want coffee."

"Water then. Or a breathe mint." He could use both.

He clumsily brushed hair from her cheek. "You're real pretty today." He leaned down and kissed her, she squealed into his mouth, surprised, and she pushed on his chest, easily knocking him over. "Merle, get you ugly ass out here!"

She stared at him with wide eyes. Did that just happen?

"What?" Merle stepped out of the house. "Well, well, well." He chuckled. "See y'all are gettin' along."

"Don't be ridiculous." Carol crossed her arms, blushing. "He's drunk. He's a minor, and he's drunk. That's not at all a trait for a good guardian to have, allowing a minor to have alcohol and to smoke. You—"

"Save me the lecture and help me with the boy." He padded down the stairs and grabbed one of Daryl's arms, hauling him up. "C'mon, sugar."

She slid her arm under his and helped Merle haul Daryl inside. Merle tossed him on his bed, Carol made sure he didn't hurt his head, and she moved him so he wasn't half on the floor. Merle had already went back to what he was doing before, so she had to tend to him.

"Don't touch me," he murmured.

"You're wearing your muddy boots to bed. Let me remove them." She lowered herself down on her knees and untied them. She noticed a scar on the top of his foot and she ran her finger over it. How odd. It was jagged, as if someone broke a beer bottle and ran it over his foot.

"Tickles," he muttered.

She removed his other boot. "Do you want anything? Water?"

He opened his eyes. "Yeah, I want you to leave. Don't let the door hit your big ass on the way out."

She bit her lip as tears burned in her eyes. She was so self-conscious about her body, and no one knew, because she hid it well. That hit right where it hurt. "Fine. Be Merle and fail." She hurried out of the trailer and went home, hearing every comment Ed ever made about her weight and her body, and she waited until she was home before she cried.

– – –

She stayed in bed on Thanksgiving, not wanting to cook or speak to her family or even move. She just wanted to curl up and never move. She didn't even know why Daryl's words effected her so much more than Ed's. Perhaps she was used to Ed's crude remarks, and hoped only he saw them. With Daryl seeing them, that meant more people saw them. God, how disgusting was she?

"Carol." Lori came into her bedroom. "It's five o' clock, and I'm not holding a pan of breadcrumbs listening to you tell me for the hundredth time to hot add chicken broth, not hot water. What the hell are you doing here?"

She rolled over. "I'm disgusting and fat and I've spend all day in bed eating...well, I swallowed a bit of my pillowcase, but it'll come out eventually."

"Oh, honey." She climbed into bed and laid beside her. "What happened? Ed?"

"No." She sat up, her hair probably sticking up in every direction. "Daryl Dixon then Ed and then myself. God, what did I swallow?" She coughed. "I don't think that was cotton."

"Daryl? What did he do? He's twelve."

"He's eighteen and a jerk." She groaned and plopped back down. "I need therapy. Or am I really so revolting? Am I revolting?"

"All right." Lori rolled over and straddled her lap.

"Is this your way of helping me or is this how you're choosing to tell me you're attracted to me?"

"So cute." She smiled bitterly. "No. You are beautiful and intelligent and should never ever ever listen to Daryl Dixon or Ed Peletier. Now, get up, shower and join me and Rick for dinner."

"I'd rather sit in bed and eat popcorn clusters." She pushed on Lori's tiny waist. "Maybe give in and eat ice cream. I have that low fat, soy shit that only losers who get dumped eat."

"It's like I'm talking to a wall." She swung her leg over and stood up. "I'm not asking. I'm demanding." She ripped the blankets off and hauled her out of bed. "I expect these pajamas in pink silk for Christmas. Up." She smacked her ass.

"Ow!" She glared. "You butch bitch. I'm up. Good Lord. What, are you gonna watch me get naked and shower?"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Okay, vodka did not agree with me, and you were about to have sex with... What's that really tall guy's name?"

"Okay, college for me was one big blackout. How I am a dental assistant, I really don't know. It's almost scary."

"This is why Mitch does my teeth." She closed the bathroom door and undressed. "Wait, you and Rick? A holiday? Is that good?"

"Hopefully. I'll get an outfit for you."

"Nothing slutty. Some of us have a period."

"I don't hear the shower running!"

"Yes, Mother."

"Oh, don't call me. I may have to beat your pale ass red. You ripped my favorite sweater. This is my third date sweater."

"What? The shower's on. I tragically can't hear." She locked the door and jumped in the shower.

About half an hour later, she came out with makeup on, her hair curled and wearing one of many silk robes that rarely got used. Lori had chosen a feel-good outfit, one of Carol's favorites. It was her off-the-shoulder teal shirt with black jeans and wedges. It was Carol's third date outfit.

"I love this lotion." Lori rubbed some onto her fingers. "I'll never be able to afford it, so I'll steal it from you."

"Be my guest. I hate it." She adjusted the strap. "I'm ready. I hope this is worth it. I need to pig out on comfort food. Wait, you cooked? Darn, I really wanted good food too."

She smacked her forehead. "Shut up." She smiled. "Let's go."

"Get that bottle of champagne from the kitchen." She shouldered her purse and grabbed her jacket, opening the front door and finding Daryl on the other side. "Daryl?" She held her jacket closer. "What brings you here?"

He looked her over.

"Daryl?"

"Uhh. I came to—"

"I couldn't find the champagne, but I found the wine you...love." She stopped in the doorway to the living room. "Hi."

"Hey." He waved a little. "I needa talk to you, Ca—Ms. Jenner."

"I'll meet you at Rick's?" Carol stepped back.

"My place. I'll be waiting." She walked out and mouthed, **_Ten minutes or less._**

"Come inside."

"No, I don't wanna interrupt your evening."

"If you were interrupting my evening, I wouldn't have invited you inside." She sat down. "Please."

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, sitting on the couch beside her. "You look real nice."

"Thank you, but complimenting me doesn't give you a passing grade. You've missed four weeks."

"I—ain't in school no more."

"Yes, you are. Burning your transcripts doesn't get you out of school. I asked Dale, and he refiled it. You're coming to school on Monday, Daryl Dixon, or Merle goes to jail for truancy."

"What?" he exclaimed. "That ain't fair."

"No, life never is." She met his eyes. "I'm sorry, but you can't just expect to do what you did and not face repercussions."

He groaned. "Son of a bitch."

"Okay, we're in my house, you can't cuss."

He sighed. "Look, I came to say I'm real sorry 'bout the other day."

"That's okay."

"No, it ain't. I turn into an asshole when I get shitfaced, and I shouldn't have said that to you. You didn't do nothin' wrong, and...before in the yard...when I—"

"Daryl, it's really nothing. I've dealt with drunks before, though I wish you weren't one of them. I can understand how life can overwhelm you." She set her hand on his knee. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here. Until then I have a dinner to get to." She stood up. "Speaking of dinner, it's Thanksgiving. Why are you over here? Don't you have plans?"

"Ain't got nowhere else to go. It's just another day to me and Merle."

"Hold this." She handed him her jacket and dug through her purse to find her phone. She called Lori.

"_Where are you_?"Lori automatically answered.

"Hello to you too. Um, is there room for one more?"

_"Daryl?"_

"Yes."

"_Carol, I know how much you want to help your students, but I really want you to get to know Rick. This is a holiday, and I want my best friend to meet my boyfriend. Please, don't do this. Don't make the bad guy._"

"But you're so good at it. Look, I love you. Please?"

"_God, fine, you...ginger ho._" She sighed. "_Does he even want to come_?"

"Really, you're asking me after you called me a ginger ho?"

_"Carol."_

"Oh, hold on." She turned. "Do you have plans?"  
"No. I was gonna go home and h—eat."

"Okay, you're my date." She went back to her phone. "Hear that?"

"_Yes, and may I say how inappropriate it is for you to call a student your date_."

"It wasn't meant that way. I'm engaged, and you're necking the soon-to-be sheriff."

"_You have ten minutes before we drink this wine, and all you have to eat are mushy peas and stuffing_."

"I love you too."

"_Love you too. Bye._"

She hung up and slid her phone into her back pocket. "You hungry?"

"Yeah, but you don't gotta drag me along 'cause you feel sorry for me."

"Don't be silly." She smiled. "I want you there. Besides, when Lori gets drunk and Rick has to take her to her bedroom, I'll need someone to talk to out on the porch."

"I ain't dressed for that."

"You look cute." He did, though. He had on a blue flannel shirt with semi-clean jeans, and his hair was washed and combed. He looked better than her high school "boyfriend" when he met her parents for the first time. "Don't be shy."

"I ain't shy, just...uncomfortable."

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

**_Hell, yes._** "Nah."

"Good, because I'll be right by you all night." She opened the door. "I'll drive, if you don't mind."

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

– – –

At Lori's, the table was prepared with four place settings and chairs, and Carol was glad no one had any issues. Rick was okay with it, or so he seemed, and Lori didn't mind, just as long as Carol got to meet and know Rick a little. Daryl mostly avoided everyone, so she asked him to help take food to the table.

Lori had "cooked"—thankfully here meaning ordered—turkey, greens, dinner rolls—since Lori and flour do not mix—macaroni and cheese, cornbread and she actually cooked green bean casserole and black beans. Rick cut the turkey, Carol made sure Daryl got enough to eat, and Lori made comments with her eyes at Carol's not-so-motherly attentiveness.

Half-way through dinner, Lori refill the dinner rolls—store bought by Rick since Carol bought the wine—and asked Carol to help her with the oven. They waited for the rolls to cook, Carol leaned against the wall, hearing Daryl and Rick talking about guns and safety.

"So, he's a student?" Lori checked on the rolls. "Or is that his pet name?"

"Excuse me?"

Lori rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen you so attentive since Ed bumped into you after organic chemistry and asked you out for coffee." She stood up. "And I thought becoming a teacher would make you dull."

"Am I missing something?" She felt confused. She was being attentive, but only so Daryl didn't feel left out. Lori kept to her inner circle, and Daryl was shy, even if he didn't want to admit it. She wanted him to feel welcome. If she could've, she'd have invited Merle too, but Lori would have killed her. Rick probably would've let her get away with it too, sleeping with him and all. Bad news was craved all over that.

"You want his rolls in your oven," Lori told her.

"I'm happily engaged, and—"

"Anyone who starts off a denial with happily as the second word isn't happily anything. It's been months since you and Ed had sex, and I can understand wanting someone, especially a very handsome, well-built student of yours who needs your "special attention"."

"I am not attracted to Daryl. He's my student, and I'm engaged. Ed's coming home...soon." She bit her bottom lip. She was fond of him, but not fond of his body. She didn't even think of him that way. Now she did. He may have many amiable qualities, such as strong arms and beautiful eyes and that husky Southern drawl that could stir certain emotions— "Damn it, Lori!" She glared.

"What?" She studied her. "Oh, my God, you **_are_** attracted to him? I was kidding."

"I am not and will not...answer you. Get the rolls. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning. I don't need to be here all night."

"Don't be afraid to be naughty," Lori murmured.

"Lori, don't."

"Fine." She took the rolls out. "Daryl?"

"Really? Rolls and Daryl? You're sick, and I'm never eating bread again." She walked out of the kitchen and sat down beside Daryl, uncomfortable now. She tucked hair behind her ear and took a drink of wine. _Okay, Carol, don't let such a silly thing bother you. It's Daryl. He's a sweet young man, and he needs someone to rely on. It isn't an attraction. Lori simply got into your head. She does that, like a worm._

She ran a hand through her hair and ate a forkful of turkey. **_Now_** it was awkward. The small conversations had ended, now the softly clanking of silverware filled the room. Rick kept glancing around, like he was waiting for someone to talk to him. Lori was glancing only at Carol, and Daryl was focused so hard on his plate that the house could've been on fire and he would not have noticed. The house catching on fire would probably be the only way to save this dinner.

After a less awkward dessert, Lori and Rick disappeared, and Carol stepped outside for some fresh air. She sat down on the steps and ran her hands over her face, getting really tired. All she wanted to do was curl up with the heat on and never wake up. Or wake up when school started up. Maybe not even then.

"Carol?"

"Hmm?" She lifted her head and found Daryl crouched down in front of her. "What?"

"Guess you fell asleep a little. It's almost midnight, and I gotta get home."

"Right. Home. I'm sorry." She stood up and stumbled from a head rush, he grasped her shoulders and steadied her. "Umm, give me a minute. I need say goodbye." She went inside. "Lori?"

"There you are. I thought you went home and left Daryl with us." She held out a bag. "Here. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and rolls. Oh, and some pecan pie and gravy."

"Leftovers?" She held back a yawn. "How sweet."

"You're making Christmas dinner."

"I knew you were gonna say that. Okay, fine." She hugged her. "Thank you for dinner and allowing Daryl to join us."

"Don't mention it." She pulled back, handing her the bag. "Drive safely. You look exhausted."

"Holiday food does that to me." She rubbed her eye. "Where's Rick?"

"In the bathroom. I'll tell him you said goodnight."

"Okay. Thanks again. I'll call you later."

Lori walked her to the door, Daryl watched her unsteadily walk down the steps, and they both decided it would be better if she didn't drive. Lori didn't really want Daryl driving, because if she didn't know if he was a good driver. A lot student drivers were horrible drivers,and they could up in the bottom of a lake and no one would know. (They would probably assume Daryl kidnapped her and fled the country.) However Lori had to work tomorrow, and Carol had her doctor's appointment, and those two offices were miles apart...so Daryl was the only option. Or let them crash when Carol falls asleep.

"Bye." Lori waved as he pulled out. If he kidnaps her, Carol was screwed.

Carol ran a hand over her eyes and stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," he assured her.

She turned her head and looked at him. "Did you even enjoy yourself? Or did I force you into the situation?"

"Been to worse."

"So, it was horrible, but not the most horrible dinner you were forced in to?"

He chuckled. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I'm sorry. It's a holiday. I didn't want you to be alone."

"Why do you care so much?"

She exhaled, and it was hard to keep her eyes open, so she stopped trying. "When I was a kid, my parents were never around, and I was alone all the time. I hated it."

"You didn't have friends?"

"No. I was such a loser to everyone, and I was probably ten when I was in seventh grade. No one wants to hang around with someone who's not even in the same age bracket."

"Ten? Knew you was intelligent, but...damn."

"Intelligence isn't that fantastic," she murmured. "Not if it means being alone or being with Ed."

He glanced over. "Thought you loved Ed."

"No, I'm in love with the idea of someone loving me, but that's not what I want." She sat up. "I want a man that—" she cut off. "Never mind. I don't know why I'm talking about this. Why am I talking about this? I'm probably freaking you out. I'll just shut up."

He half-smiled at her. "Sleep, if you want. You're exhausted."

"If I sleep now I'll be wide awake all night. I have plans."

"What?"

"Doctor's, setting up a Christmas tree, and decorations." She yawned. "I might just not do anything and sleep all day. I'm so tired."

"Sleep, woman. It ain't that hard." He turned the heat up so she would fall asleep, and when she did, he turned the heat back down. Tonight was strange. He had made plans to just stay home, but he had to apologize for what he said. He was such an asshole when he was drunk, though he wouldn't redo that kiss. He could still taste her lips. He wanted to find Ed and ask him how he could leave Carol alone for so long, especially since he knew her past. She hates to be alone, so Ed leaves her alone all the time? What a dick.

He pulled into her driveway near 12:45, and he tried to wake her up, but she out cold. He knew which key was her house key, because she had it on a different keyring. He would have to carry her inside. Great.

He set the leftovers on the steps then unlocked the front door. He opened the car door, she shuddered a little, but didn't wake. He slid one arm under her legs and one around her back, pulling her out. Unconsciously her arms wrapped around his neck, her head falling on his shoulder, and he felt her lips on his neck. He shut the door with his foot and carried her inside, nudging the leftovers inside with the tip of his boot and closing the door with the heel of his boot.

Karma ran over to them, jumping up on him, yipping.

"Shh. Hush."

She stopped instantly, sat down and held out a paw.

"Gimme a minute." He carried her to her bedroom and set her down. She rolled over and curled up, he grabbed the blanket off the chair beside the bed and covered her with it then went and found Karma's treats. "Here, begger."

She devoured it and looked up at him with big eyes.

"No. I gotta go." He put them back and then put the leftovers in the fridge. He stopped when he heard his name, and he peered into Carol's bedroom, but she was still asleep. He shook his head and left, writing it off as exhaustion.


	4. Dinner For Three

It was the first week of December, Carol had worked it out with Daryl's teachers and got him a few extra days to make up all of his work. As for her class, she gave him points for participation and for extra credit—cleaning up and a few drawing projects. She was surprised to learn he liked to draw. He was quite talented too. She didn't know why he wasn't taking art. She hoped it was on his schedule for next semester, because it would he a waste if he didn't. Talent is a horrible thing to waste.

"Don't you have someone else to harass?" Carol mused when Daryl walked in.

"I can go."

"No, you can't. Not if you want to pass anyway. I've got good news for you in that department." She closed the space between them and held up a piece of paper. "Your new teachers wrote down your grades. I'm so proud of you." She showed him the As and Bs.

"Mostly was you," he shrugged.

"No, you did really well! And you only had a week to do it, because of midterms, and I am so proud of your progress. I'm inviting you to dinner with me and Karma. Or I can bring it for lunch tomorrow. It's up to you."

"You ain't gotta do that."

"I want to." She smiled. "Besides, I haven't cook a big meal in months, and I'm carving roast and potatoes, so my place at six? Oh, and Merle can come too, if he isn't too busy."

"Merle?" He was stunned. He could understanding her inviting him, because they were kind of close, and he was the reason for having the dinner, but Merle? God, he did not want Merle there. Her house was nice, and he didn't want Merle to get any ideas. "You sure?"

"Yes, I am." She gripped his hand then released it. "Six tonight then?"

"Yeah. Six."

She smiled. "Bring your appetite." She shouldered her purse and grabbed her jacket. "If Merle can't make it, I'll give you some to take home for him."

He nodded. He would much rather not tell Merle and go by himself, but he had to tell Merle. Merle was driving him everywhere since Daryl kept skipping and almost got him sent to jail. He needed to talk to Merle beforehand. Carol was...special to him, and if she was going to be in his life, Merle would be not far behind. "Six."

They walked out together, she laughed at how stiff he was, and he blushed. They didn't know Shane Walsh was watching them as they walked across the parking lot, standing a little too _**close**_ together, discussing his English paper.

_**Slut.**_ He stepped back just as Carol glanced over, feeling eyes on her, and she rubbed her arm, smiling a farewell to Daryl as they went their separate ways. She drove home and began dinner, fed Karma and looked for something decent to wear. Most of her dining clothes were too much, and she was tired of pencil skirts, so it was either jeans or a dress.

"Jeans, it is." She grabbed a pair of black jeans and a loose, sheer white blouse and a gray tank top with tennis shoes. She put some potatoes on to boil since the roast was huge and almost crushed the pan it was in—leave it to Lori to buy small. She went out to her garden and got some herds and a fresh tomato. "Cookies or cake?"

Karma turned her head.

"Cake it is. Everyone loves chocolate, expect you, because it makes you deathly sick." She gathered the ingredients and began to mix them by memory. She wanted to make sure Daryl actually had fun this time, so hopefully Merle could help. They were brothers, so they had to be friends and friends make each other laugh. Hopefully Merle will make Daryl relax and enjoy himself. She wanted to see Daryl happy, smiling and laughing, not sitting by himself, staring off into space. She hated to see Daryl like that. It made her feel so lonely and cold. But the thought of Daryl smiling... It made everything seem so much brighter. It made her smile.

She glanced down as Karma gave her a wide-eyed look. "What? I am not creepy...am I?"

She barked, and it sounded like yes.

"When you're being criticized by your dog, you know you need help," she mumbled. Good Lord.

––

Daryl stared in horror at his closet, because he had nothing—nothing—decent to wear for tonight, and showing up in the same worn jeans and messy flannel wasn't going to happen. It was also the third day he'd worn them, so hell no.

"Hey, Darylina." Merle stopped in the doorway. "Got you some clothes for your date."

"Huh?" Daryl was met with a pair of jeans and a bag tossed at his head. "The hell, Merle?"

"Carol called, so I figured your sorry ass was lookin' for somethin' to wear, impress her. I gotcha, baby brother."

"What're you talkin' 'bout?" Daryl defended. "She's my teacher. I ain't lookin' at her li—"

"Darylina, teacher or not, she's a fine piece of ass. You'd best make your move and make it good, 'cause I hear Ed's comin' back for Christmas."

"Ain't y'all poker buddies or some shit like that?" Daryl tossed the jeans on his bed and looked through the bag.

"Yeah, we is, that's how I know. He got plans to marry Carol before the year's up."

Daryl swallowed. "But she ain't ready. She said it wasn't til next year."

"Ed's gotta a job in New York, fixin' to set up there, take her with him. If you like her, do somethin'. If not, say bye-bye." He tossed a jacket at Daryl's head. "Get changed. I'm hungry as hell."

He sighed and tugged the jacket off his head. Ed was going to marry her and take her to New York? What the hell? That can't be true. Carol wants a big wedding. She all but said it, and rushing it into the last few weeks of December is not what she would want. He got the feeling Ed controlled every single step she took when they were together. He couldn't stand the thought of Carol marrying someone like that. He couldn't stomach the thought of her being with Ed at all. She didn't even love him. She told Daryl that on Thanksgiving. Why is she marrying him? Money? Is she the type of person? Does she feel obligated to marry him? Was it prearranged by her parents? What the hell is wrong with their little engagement? It didn't settle well with Daryl. He needed to talk to her, because he didn't want to lose her, especially not to Ed. He would beat her, break her spirit and then...he'd kill her. Daryl would kill Ed before he left Ed put his hands on Carol.

He jumped in the shower and then told Merle to get one too, because they both smelled like fish from having raw fish in the house and having eaten fish these last few days. He changed into the new jeans and a black, sleeveless button-down shirt. He dug through the junk in his room and found a comb with a couple of broken teeth. He ran it through his hair and pounded on the wall.

"Hurry up, Merle! Wear somethin' decent!"

"Shut up, Darylina. She ain't my girl."

Yes, but their first impression sucked, and he didn't want Carol to think he was like that. He wanted her to know him for him, not for who his brother and father are. He might not stand a chance with someone like her, but he had to try. If he didn't, they would both regret it for the rest of their lives. He needed to be a man and just...let her have it. Or something that doesn't sound like rape or assault. That would be best.

"Hey, baby brother."

"Huh?" He turned and got a doused in cologne. "What the hell?" He coughed as Merle got it in his mouth.

"Let's go." Merle walked to the car. "C'mon, c'mon."

He coughed. "Taste like ass. What the hell is that shit?"

"Get in the damn truck."

He groaned at the taste and climbed into the truck. "You'd best behave."

Merle smacked him in the back of the head. "I ain't your bitch."

This was entirely Carol's fault. Whatever Merle did was on Carol. Daryl would just have to soften the damage with alcohol. If Carol didn't drink tonight...that was on her too.

––

Carol set the table and heard a car pull up in the driveway, and she went to greet them. She almost didn't recognize them. Merle, who usually wore wife beaters and worn work pants, now wore clean—almost new—cargo pants and a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was handsome and civil-looking. Hopefully that meant she didn't have to hide the silver, although she seriously doubted Merle would steal from her, particularly considering he and Ed were gambling buddies or whatever. It was slightly reassuring.

As for Daryl... Damn it, Lori! He looked...very handsome. He looked so mature in his button-down black shirt and leather jacket, and his jeans were new. He hadn't taken off the sticker that showed the size. It was actually adorable. He bought new pants, and she bought a new bra, but he couldn't—wouldn't see that. It was either a new bra or tape, and it had nothing to do with Daryl coming over for dinner. Nothing at all. Women need bras. Why in the hell was she defending her bra-buying action to herself? God, how insane is she? No wonder Karma looks at her the way she does.

She opened the door when Merle knocked and nearly broke the glass, Daryl winced a greeting, and she smiled. "Hello, Merle, Daryl. Come inside. You can leave your jackets on the hook. I'm going to check on dinner, but please, make yourselves at home." She left the room.

Merle whistled. "Shit, knew she got money, but damn. We could fit our entire trailer in here."

Daryl hung up his jacket. "Guess so."

"This crystal?" He looked at the chandelier. "Tap that ass, baby brother. You'll be livin' like a damn king."

"Shut up, Merle." He bent down and loved on Karma.

"What, you got a thing for dogs now?"

"Shut the hell up. I told you to behave." He sent him a heated glare.

"You done told me what? I told you, I ain't your—"

"Dinner's ready." Carol stopped in the doorway. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No." Daryl offered her a slight smile. "Lemme just wash up."

"You know where the bathroom is. Merle, the dining room is this way."

"Hey, Daryl." Merle gestured to his jeans, Daryl looked down and blushed at the tag, and he left even more quickly. Merle threw his head back and laughed deeply, Carol smiled behind her hand, finding him completely adorable tonight. She had such a weakness for adorable. "A-hem."

She glanced over at Merle. "This way." She led Merle to the dining room, he nearly gaped at the amount of food on the table, and Carol sat down only when Daryl joined them. "Help yourselves."

She'd made roast, boiled baby potatoes, green beans, rolls and a garden salad. Daryl politely ate the salad first, but Merle cut into the roast first. She was surprised at different they were around company. Daryl was so embarrassed by Merle, but Merle felt right at home. He even went to the kitchen and got a beer—she'd made sure to buy some after she invited him. Daryl murmured an apology, but Carol just smiled and set her hand over his.

"Don't be. This is for you and your grades. Eat, drink—I don't care how much. Okay?"

He nodded.

"Please, try to relax. I'll get you some more drink. I need to check on Karma." She took the cup and went into the kitchen, finding Karma in her bed, watching Merle. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"I did." He met her eyes. "Why'd you invite us over? Just for Daryl's As?"

"Yes. I'm proud of him. I thought you would be too. He's quite intelligent. Why don't you praise him? He's not being modest when he tells me it's nothing. He thinks of himself as nothing. Why?"

"That ain't me. That's our father. Piece of lowlife shit."

"Where is his father? You're listed as his only relative."

"He's dead, maggot food, leave it be." He walked out of the room.

She shuddered at how coldly he dismissed his father's death. She filled Daryl's glass with ice and soda then returned as Merle whispered something to Daryl. She set the glass down and sat down. They ate in silence, Daryl seemed to loosen up a bit, and he and Merle dragged her into a conversation about fishing. She'd never seen Daryl so interested in anything as when he talked about fishing and hunting. It made her smile to see such life in his eyes. Merle took note of that.

"Lemme help." Daryl took his and Merle's plate when it was time to cleanup.

"I gotta smoke." Merle hit the table with his palm then stood up. "Y'all got this?"

"Yeah." Carol nodded. "The door locks automatically, so leave it open a little otherwise Karma will get out. She's a runner, so please be careful."

"Yes, ma'am."

Carol and Daryl carried the dirty plates and the leftovers to the kitchen, Carol put the dishes in the dishwasher then put the leftovers away with Daryl's help. He got the plastic containers down for her, and she asked him if he wanted to take them home.

"You don't want 'em?"

"I'll probably give them Karma, so do you want them?"

"Uhh, sure."

She put them in a bag and placed them in the fridge and wiped her hands. "I made cake for you as well. Do you like vanilla bean ice cream?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

She leaned against the oven. Just causally ask. It's a pretty causal question, just ask it. "How are things with your parents?" She crossed her arms. "I mean, living with Merle must be rough. Why don't you stay with your parents?"

"They're dead," he muttered.

"Oh." She felt cold all over. God, are you stupid? Put two and two together, Carol! "I'm so sorry. I had no idea—"

"It's all right. You didn't know." He wasn't particularly sad about it. He had no reason to be. They were both in love with the bottle, not each other or their kids. It didn't matter if they did, because Daryl had Merle, and that was all he needed. He loved his brother, his brother loved him. He didn't need his parents. They weren't even parents. They never provided, never were around and when they were, Daryl wished they weren't, especially his father.

"How old were you?" she whispered.

"I was 'bout twelve when my mama died. She burned to death. Merle was...gone, and I was out playin' with a couple of the neighborhood kids. They was firetrucks and smoke, and the kids...rode their bikes, hopin' to see somethin' worth seein'. I ran after 'em, but I couldn't keep up. Rounded that corner and everybody was lookin' at me, and it my house was a pile of burn wood and ash. It was my mama burned down to nothin' in bed." He exhaled slightly, not sad or angry, just exhaled. "She liked to smoke in bed, reckon she fell asleep with the cigarette lit."

She covered her mouth and held back a whimper.

He turned to face her. "Don't. It was a long time ago, you don't gotta feel bad 'bout it. Hell, you didn't even know me."

"She was your mother," she managed. "God, I am so sorry you had to go through that."

He ducked his head. "I guess."

She pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, he tensed right up, and she fought back tears. He was just a child, and his mother died. He had to see his childhood home burn to ground, every happy memory he ever had...gone, along with his mother in a fiery rage. And to add to it, his father was an alcoholic jackass. Everyone knew that. When she was a little girl, her father told her never to go near John Dixon. He never answered when she asked why.

"Ain't gotta pity me," he murmured.

She pulled back and met his eyes. "I'm not pitying you, Daryl. I—I'm just... God." She covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what I'm doing, but it's not pitying you. I respect you too much to pity you."

His lips tugged upward as he fought off a smile.

She moved her hands and locked eyes with him. "I just—"

He leaned down and kissed her, interrupting whatever she was going to say. She jerked back and searched his eyes, he stepped back and mumbled an apology instantly. Curiously, she grasped his cheeks and kissed him. He blinked, stunned, and he pushed her up against the stove, his hands on either side of her, splayed on the glass stove top.

Her lips were soft, like they had been the other night, and they were warm. She kissed him slowly, as if savoring the moment, and he liked that. This kiss wasn't as sloppy as it was the first time, he could taste her lip balm, and it was oddly salty, but he didn't care. He was kissing Carol, and Carol was kissing him back. It was slow and controlled, but he could almost feel her fighting herself to keep it that way.

She suddenly pulled back and blushed, turning away from him.

"What?" Daryl asked then looked over and found Merle grinning at them. "Merle!"

"Sorry, little brother. Shoulda put her bra on the doorknob, woulda kept me out." He stepped in. "Since y'all are done, I'd like some cake."

"Sure, of course." Carol got down two plates and cut the cake, not looking at Daryl. She got the ice cream, put two big scoops on the plate and handed them to each of them. "Excuse me." She bolted to her bedroom.

"Got some Dixon in you after all," Merle chuckled.

Daryl frowned and went after her, giving his plate to Merle, who took them to the living room and turned on baseball. He found her pacing her bedroom, and he closed the door behind him. "Carol?"

"What just happened?" She didn't stop pacing. "We—we kissed. Why did we kiss?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You talkin' to me?"

"I'm engaged, and Ed will kill you if he finds out about that." She faced him. "Okay, that kiss didn't happen. It didn't. Okay? Good? Good. Let's get some cake."

"No, it did happen." He grasped her elbows. "We kissed. It was the best... You can't make it go away, 'cause of Ed. He ain't around, but I am. I'm right here."

"I'm your teacher, you're my student. This isn't legal. I'm older than you."

"By four years, and I'm eighteen."

"That doesn't—Your age is not—I'm not the type of person who just—" She stopped. "Why did you kiss me?"

"'Cause I like you a lot."

"Yes, I like you too. You're a good student, a quick study, and—"

"No, Carol, I like you in a way that I wanna be in a relationship with you, not a friendship."

"You—you can't. I'm Ed's."

"No, you ain't. You ain't nobody's, and y'all ain't even married, and he's gone all the time. I'm not." He kissed her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth, feeling her moan into his mouth. He slid his fingers into her hair then down to her hips, grasping her ass, pulling her body right up to his. Damn, she felt good.

"Stop." She pulled away. "Stop, please. I—I can't do this. I can't deal with this."

"Carol, I—"

"Please, Daryl, don't." She had tears in her eyes.

He swallowed and nodded, his eyes hardening. "'Course. Merle and me will just go."

"No, don't."

"Thanks for dinner," he mumbled then turned on his heel and left.

She covered her face with her hands and sank down onto the floor, hearing the front door shut. God, Daryl, why did he have to do that? Everything was fine when she could lie and blame her dreams on her period or how long it'd been since Ed and she were intimate. But now it was none of those things. She wanted him in a very bad way, and she was engaged. She wasn't happy with Ed, and she really wasn't sure if she was marrying because she didn't want to be alone or because she was scared that he would do something to her or her family if she didn't. She just wanted to be happy for once. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

She groaned and dropped her head, hitting it on the floor. "Okay." She picked herself up and went to the cake, finding a note from Merle. He'd taken it instead of the food. She grabbed a spoon and the tub of vanilla bean ice cream. To hell with the wedding and Ed.


	5. Pavement Ends

Daryl was both nervous and unnecessarily excited about seeing Carol. Their dinner was good, and she _**had**_ kissed him back. She wouldn't have done that if she didn't feel the same way about him or felt absolutely nothing. They needed to talk about it, and there weren't any cameras outside that's where her classroom was located. If she wanted to avoid him, she could anywhere but here.

He opened the door and his eyes fell on the empty chair. Huh? He saw her purse poking out of the almost closed drawer, so she was here. He'd taken the long way, so she wasn't in the halls, so she was in the teacher lounge. Why? She'd told him she didn't like to be in there with the nosy first period plan teachers, like Andrea Horvath. Why would sh... He scoffed and clenched his jaw. Students aren't allowed in the teacher's lounge. It's a perfect place to avoid him, because he had no excuse to go inside. Bitch _**was**_ avoiding him.

No, she wasn't a bitch. She was Carol Jenner, fiancée of Ed Peletier—more like property. He sighed. She couldn't avoid him in fourth. He would block the door when everyone left just to ensure they spoke. She couldn't leave it like this. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it couldn't be avoided.

He returned to the library and got on the computer. He looked up Ed Peletier, and he found articles about his work, but he didn't care enough to read them. He noticed a few pictures of Ed and Carol at charity events held by her parents, and he'd never seen her look so gorgeous. She was so beautiful and looked so happy in the picture with her parents and in a picture with a few underprivileged kids, but with Ed, she looked so fake. Her smile was fake, the loving look in her eyes was almost forced, and she wasn't glowing or happy. It was creepy. What the hell does Ed to do her?

Shaking the sickly feeling in his stomach, he looked into Carol and her parents. Edwin, Violet and Carol Jenner. They had a big profile on all of them. Carol looked more like her mother than her father, though she'd gotten the hair color from him. He smiled a little at the pictures of her as a child, smiling proudly at her parents. She was adorable.

Scrolling down, he saw pictures of Carol in college. She was only fifteen! Damn. She went to a lot of schools, and she did have a lot of degrees, but they were all related to science, like her parents. She didn't pay a nickle, scholarships and her massive brain paid her way. If he was even half as smart as she was, he would do more with his life than sit around and get drunk, but he was Dixon. Dixons weren't known for their high social standing, they were known for their long criminal record.

"Mrs. Morales?"

He glanced over as Lilly Chalmers waved over the library, smiling sweetly. She was a good teacher, really sweet and forthcoming, but as much as she looked like it, she wasn't a pushover. She could lay down the lay and whip someone's ass with it. He'd gotten on her bad side most of the semester. Hell, he managed to piss off every teacher without even trying. It had to be a talent.

"Excuse me." She smiled apologetically. "I hate to bother you, but I need some paper. The printer in the teacher's lounge ran out, and I have to get my final printed out."

"It's by the teacher printer," she smiled.

"Oh, and I came to get my teacher's copy of—that." She pointed to something Daryl couldn't see and picked two big books. "I don't have enough hands." She pursed her lips and looked over at him, he averted his eyes and stared hard at the screen. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?" He glanced over. "Yeah?"

"Could you do me a favor?"

"'Course." He stood up. "What?"

"I need three packs of paper delivered to the teacher's lounge. Please and thank you both so much." She held the door open, he grabbed the packs of paper and followed her to the teacher's lounge. "Are you excited?"

"'Bout what?"

"Christmas break." She smiled at him. "It's in two days."

"Right, yeah." Christmas was just another day, like Thanksgiving. Merle had to work—if you can call it that—and he was stuck at home. He was considering getting a job, but Merle would never allow it. Daryl had to focus wholly on school. All Daryl wanted to do was see Carol, not go to school, but he saw Carol at school, so it was a win-win.

"I love Christmas. It's so romantic, with all of the snow and ice. I bet you have plans with your girlfriend."

He wanted off this subject. He hated to talk to someone he didn't like, and he didn't want to talk about his relationships, even if he wasn't in one. "You got plans?"

"That's personal."

What the hell was hers? He picked up the pace, and she fell into step beside him. They didn't talk the rest of the way, which made her uncomfortable, but Daryl loved it. He hated talking to people like her. She was so damn nosy. He couldn't see why Carol liked her, but Carol liked a lot of people. She always gave people the benefit of the doubt, even if it made her a bit of a pushover.

"Hold on." Shane rushed over to them, grinning. "Lemme help you, Ms. Chalmers."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Walsh." She handed the books to him and opened the door for them, they went inside, and she turned to Daryl. "Could you add the paper to the printer? Just leave the others beside it. It's right back there."

He left as she instructed Shane on how to put books down, and he set the paper down, eying the out-of-place-from-this-old-as-the-rocks-building printer. It was so new, and he wasn't sure where the paper went. He didn't want to break it to find out. Huh. He chewed his bottom lip.

"Ow."

He turned as Carol stumbled out of the bathroom beside him, rubbing her forehead. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I just hit my head on the sink." She blushed and pointed down. "My heel broke. I'm not that short. See, I was washing my hands, and I—God, I'm too flustered to speak. I'm sorry."

He half-smiled at her.

"Umm. What—what are you doing?" She stood beside him, using the table to keep her balance as she unclasped her heels. "Oh, you brought paper. Thank God. My end of semester exams need printed." She set them on the table then reached up and grabbed a bag from the top of the shelf with the school's crest and name on it. "This is for first aid, but I keep back up shoes in here."

"Won't you get in trouble when they need in it and find your shoes?"

"No, because I'm wearing them now." She hopped up and sat on the counter, sliding on ankle socks.

"As amusin' as you are, I gotta get back to the library."

"Did you reload the printer?" She pulled her leg in and tied her shoe then the other leg and shoe. She met his eyes and slid off the counter. "Well, I think it opens here." She gently tugged on a small handle. "Yeah." She opened the tray. "Ta da."

"Showoff."

"Really? This is me showing off? Wow, I'm pretty pathetic." She opened a pack of paper. "If you need help with your EOCs or semester exams, let me know. We'll have to study at my place, because I have to work on some...things. It's only if you want to, I'm not gonna force you. Just let me know."

He nodded and left the teacher's lounge, wondering why she was acting like nothing happened. If that's how she wanted to play it out then they definitely need to talk.

––

Carol chewed on her bottom lip as her fourth period class did questions out of the book, her eyes on everyone but Daryl. She was sure everyone knew, but no one did. Daryl hadn't mentioned it this morning, so maybe it was just a very vivid dream. She hoped so, because if it wasn't, they would have to talk. She didn't want to hurt him, because she really did like him, and she wanted to be someone he could rely on, but not in the way she had hoped for.

This entire thing was a mess. She just wanted to be friends with him, like she's friends with Rick. She didn't mean to lead him on or make him think she wanted more. The scarier thought was: did she do it on purpose? Did she want him to kiss her the way he did? God, she still feel his hands on her cheeks, his lips on hers, and she didn't want these feelings to stop. She did care for Daryl, and she may want to spend most of her time with him, but that didn't mean she liked in that way. He was just... She couldn't find a word. These past few weeks with Daryl have meant more to her than the past few year with Ed. Did that mean she should try it? See where it goes? He was eighteen, and she was only twenty-two, so it wasn't a major age difference. The issue was of him being in her class and Ed and—Ahhh!

She sighed silently and noticed her phone was lit up. She ran her finger over the screen to unlock it and found a text from Lori.

_**I have to cancel tonight. I'm sorry, but I need to talk with Rick. I'll talk to you soon, okay?**_

Great. Her best friend would rather exchange saliva and bodily fluids than talk. She really needed to talk to someone. Someone who wasn't Daryl Dixon. If she could get a hold of her mother, she would call her, but her mom was in the "zone"—a period of time wherein she didn't leave the lab. Something caught her eye, Carol assumed. Her father would probably kill her if she talked about it with him. Her father and Ed were like father and son already, and Carol would be scolded like a little girl if he found out about Daryl and her kissing. What a headache he could be.

"Do you want us to turn these in?" Amy asked. "Ms. Jenner? Ms. Jenner? Do you want us to turn these in?"

"Yes? Yes, I do." She gestured to the box and noticed Daryl watching her. Wonderful. She turned to her computer and looked over the online grading system to see if anyone was missing work. She called them out and let them know what they were missing until the bell rang. She was so grateful.

"Carol." Daryl caught her at the door, his body blocking it. "I needa study. For geometry. Are you busy?"

"No. Do you need a ride? Or did you drive today?"

"I needa a ride. Thanks." He smiled a little.

They walked to her car, Daryl went back inside to get his book on the way, and she prayed he didn't talk about last night. She had a feeling that he would. They did need to talk, but not in school or on campus. They would talk at her house, because no one was there, and she could easily find a paper bag.

"Sorry." He jogged over to her car and climbed inside. "Hada get through the cheerleaders. They should test 'em for steroids."

She laughed. "Did they trample you?"

"Not me. Milton Mamet. The new kid."

"Oh? I haven't met him. I hope he's okay."

"He oughta be." He shifted. "'Bout my work, it shouldn't take long. Don't got much to do."

She nodded and pulled out. "You can play music if you want. I don't care what."

He leaned over and listened to the station it was on: news. He instantly turned it, she giggled and he flipped through the channels. He stopped in the middle of an unfamiliar song, he glanced over, but she didn't look at him. He let it play, the lyrics the only words vocalized in the car.

_**Take me back to the muddy water, where the bull and the cow didn't bother. **_

_**Pick up a girl I know won't holler. Head out of town, watch the sun go down. **_

_**Maybe later we'll call some friends tell 'em meet us where the pavement ends. **_

She inhaled deeply and glanced over as he slouched and studied the world that blurred by. This isn't awkward at all. _Nice going, Carol. No wonder you're a genis. _

_**I got some fat wood rollin' in a truck bed. Fine pine, that's what she said**_

_**I found it in the forest where the kindling's strong. It burns real ot, but it don't last long.**_

_**Just cause I got her warm don't mean I'll see skin.**_

_**But I'm going to start a fire where the pavement ends.**_

Daryl heard her sigh, and he turned his head to keep from blurting out what happened last night. He knew he didn't want to have this discussion in the car, because Carol was the emotional type, and he had a feeling she would kill them by taking her hands off the wheel to gesture or wipe her eyes. He didn't want to die young. Only the good die young.

When Carol parked in her driveway, Daryl got out and helped her carry in her belongings. She slipped away once inside, leaving Daryl to tend to Karma, who was jumping up and down, yipping for him to pet her. He stroked her fur once then went to look for Carol.

"Carol?"

"Hold on." She grunted then opened her bedroom door as she pulled down a turtleneck sweater. "My heating unit is broken. Do you need a sweater? I have fifteen."

"I'm good."

"You sure? They're Ed's, so they'll fit." She crossed her arms.

"I don't needa a sweater. I need you to talk to me."

"About?"

"About?" he repeated. "About? Carol, we kissed last night!"

"I was hoping that was one of those awkward as hell dreams, but I guess not." She sighed and met his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

"Well, aren't you?"

"If I was gonna be sorry 'bout it, I wouldn't have kiss you in the first place. I told you I like you, and I wanna be with you. Nobody's gotta know, and it ain't like Ed's ever 'round to know the difference."

"You...want to date me?"

He blushed now. "Yeah," he mumbled.

"Why?" She searched his eyes, her heart now in her stomach as a sinking feeling coursed through her.

"'Cause you're funny and sweet and beautiful and...you get it."

"Get it?" She stepped closer, but a gap was still between them. "Get...what? You?"

"Nah, you get...my situation. No pity, means a lot."

She smiled. "Daryl, I—God." She laughed for no reason and covered her face with her sleeves. "Why do you want me? I don't understand." She dropped her hands. "Why not Amy or Sasha? I think Amy likes you."

"I don't like Amy." He was rooted in the spot were he stood, his heart in his throat, pounding into his head, making him even more nervous. He was thankful his palms didn't sweat, because he wanted to touch her, and he didn't want clammy hands when he did it. "And why? You ain't ever looked at yourself before? Or ever... Well, I don't know how to word it, but you gotta a real good personality too."

She turned blood red. "What are you saying?"

"Damn, woman." He closed the space between them, grasping her shoulders gently, and he locked eyes with her. "I think you're beautiful and intelligent and even if you are geeky, I like that. I wanna know you, and I wanna date you. I won't...do whatever the hell Ed does to you, 'cause a man don't do that to a woman. I ain't gonna do that to you."

"What Ed..." She stepped out of his reach and dropped down on the chest at the end of her bed. "What—eh, what do you think Ed does to me? No, don't answer that. That's not important." She looked over at the picture of her and Ed from last Christmas. She stood up and picked it up from its resting plate on her dresser. "I've been with Ed for three years."

He chewed his bottom lip.

"I don't think I've ever loved him." She studied the picture. "He used to make...everything special, but it was only special to him." Her eyes burned. "I...kept convincing myself I was happy, because I'm scared of what Ed might do if I break it off. I was never happy, but...recently, I have been...completely, incandescently happy. Do you have any idea why?"

"He ain't been 'round?"

She wiped her face with her sleeves and turned to face him. "Because of Lori...and Rick I'm happy. Because of my job and my dog." He hung his head, nodding. "But mostly because of someone I met."

Damn, pussy, don't get so upset. He scolded himself as he felt sick to his stomach. He should've figured someone else had caught her attention. As beautiful and funny and charming as she is, it was only a matter of him. He wasted his time, and he lost her. Son of a bitch.

"That someone is very special to me," she continued. "He's very handsome, very selfless and very intelligent and that makes me...really love him even more. He's been standing right in front of me for a long time, but I tend to not notice the good ones." She sniffed and dropped Ed's pictures, Daryl lifted his head, looking at the broken glass, and Carol walked over to him, cupping his cheeks and searching his eyes. "You're one of the best ones, and I'm sorry it took me so damn long to realize that."

He blinked, stunned. "What?"

She smiled. "You're the someone I met."

His lips twitched. "What 'bout Ed?"

"Ed's probably busy having an affair instead of actually working," she replied. "And I want to wait until he comes home before anything really happens between us." He groaned. "I'm not the kind of woman to break off an engagement over the phone. I may not respect him, but my parents raised me this way, and he comes back next week."

"What day?"

"Uhh, the twenty-third." She grasped his hands. "I'll end it with him, and we can spend Christmas together. It's not—God, I scared the hell out of you, didn't I?"

"Little bit, but I like spendin' time with you."

She smiled. "Me too." She leaned up and then stopped. "Where's Karma?" She released his hands. "The broke glass. Crap, bad gesture." She hurried to the kitchen and got the drum and dustpan then quickly cleaned up the mess.

Daryl waited.

"You needed help with math, right?" She leaned into room.

"No, that was a lie. Just wanted to talk to you."

She flushed. "Do you wanna watch a movie?"

"In here?"

"Yes. Does that scare you too?" she teased.

He glanced over the bed then at her. "No, it don't. Just didn't think was so bold."

"I like movies and comfort." She shrugged. "I'll put on some popcorn, and you can find a movie. I have some in the living room cabinets, or you can order it. I don't care which, just lemme know first. I don't do horror well."

"Yeah, I know."

"No, you really don't. I can be clingy. I get hyper, and it's embarrassing." She shook her head. "I'll be back."

He glanced over once she was gone. Horror movie it is.

She made the popcorn and got out two drinks, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she discovered the call was from Ed. Huh, how ironic. She let it ring then turned it off without listening to his message. She took the drinks and bowl her bedroom and set them on the nightstand. "Please, sit down. Get comfortable, but no shoes."

He bent down and untied his shoes, she tossed hers in front of the closet and climbed onto the bed, getting under the covers. "You want the lights on?"

"If you want a glare, sure. Or, if you're scared I'm gonna touch you inappropriately, leave them on." She ate a piece of popcorn and glanced at him. This was a side of her he'd never seen.

"I—I turn 'em off." He flicked the lights off and then settled on the bed beside her, and when was comfortable, she handed him a soda. "Thanks." He set it on the nightstand and ordered the movie.

"Oh, scary. How shocking. I hope you like clingy, screeching redheads, because you're about to get one."

"I can handle it."

She smirked. "Gettin' cocky, I see."

He smirked. "Maybe."

"It's your slow death." She ate another piece of popcorn. She took a silent deep breath. Okay, it's like a first date. Keep calm, don't over-analyze what he does, and do not snort. He may make you laugh, but do not snort. Ever!

The movie wasn't as scary as they had expected, although Carol got an adrenaline rush and gripped his shirt tightly when last victim walked cautiously down the hall with the killer behind her. He laughed at her, and she squealed when the victim turned and shot him. Carol was more entertaining than the movie.

"My lips are so dry." She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. "I hate when popcorn does that." She wiped her mouth. "Does that ever happen to you?"

"Huh?" He dragged his eyes off her scarlet lips.

"Never mind." She leaned over him and picked up the empty bottle, the bowl and her bottle. "I'll be back. We can watch another movie, if you want."

He pushed her thick covers off of him and stood up, stretching. He looked for the remote and found Carol's phone on the bed, and someone was calling her. He picked it up and saw the picture of Ed. He answered it and just listen.

"It's about damn time," he sneered. "Where the hell have you been? Don't give me an answer. We'll "talk" when I get home. You remember what I told you, and you'd better do it. And tell that fucking little pussy kid to keep away from you, because you are mine. Do you understand me?"

Daryl held his jaw, because he was about to go off on this prick.

"If you want to hang around with an ADHD, suicidal crybaby, you can call Lori. Now, I don't want to hear anymore stories about you and this kid. I'll kill him, and I'll beat your ass. I tell you who you can and cannot be around, and Daryl Dixon is not someone you can be around."

He hung up the phone and removed the battery, tossing it into her closet on her clothes. He wondered who told Ed about Carol and him. Merle was the only one who knew, but Merle wouldn't let Ed threaten to kill Daryl. So what asshole was following them, telling Ed shit that didn't happen? He knew it was either Shane or Martinez, because they had nothing better to do, and Shane's dad worked with Ed. Carol told him that once when she had to deal with parent-teacher conferences, and she told him that Shane and Ed were close, especially since Shane was only seventeen and Ed were both manipulative assholes. Ed needed someone to keep an eye on Carol when he wasn't in town. Tsk, what a dick. If Daryl ever caught him hitting or about to hit Carol, he wouldn't reach for his crossbow, he would reach for a gun and shoot Ed in the head with it.


	6. Nine Lives

"Okay." Carol stepped into the room, hands up. "I'm totally lost right now."

"What'd you mean?"

"This. Us. I'm used to Ed showing up randomly and sex. I'm not entirely sure how...we do this." She crossed her arms. "I don't want to rush into anything, because...well, I don't want to ruin this."

"Ruin?"

"Did—I mean—Never mind." She shook her head. "Am I your first? Uhh, girlfriend."

"I didn't ever call 'em girlfriends, so yeah, you are."

"Them? How many is them?"

"You jealous?"

"No, just curious. I've been with three guys my entire life. You?"

"A bit more."

"Give me the ballpark at least." She crossed her arms. "Six? Eight? Twenty-five?"

He chuckled.

"Okay, it's two, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "Ain't gonna tell you."

She huffed. "Fine." She pursed her lips. "Do you...want to make out?"

"What?"

"I don't know. I keep coming up with dinner plans, but it's not even seven yet. My two guys didn't exactly last long, and I'm not the best at relationship. I'm loyal! I really am, but I'm...kinda clumsy." She chewed her bottom lip. "What do you want to do?"

"Talk."

"Really?" She slowly smiled. "I would love to talk. Let's go into the living room. I wanna make a fire."

"Be right out. Gonna get a blanket for you."

She smiled and headed to the living room. She built a fire then went to the kitchen and made hot chocolate. She found some mint cookies that Lori hadn't eaten, and she took them to the living, finding Daryl and her favorite quilt on the floor. She sat cross from him, using the throw pillows to get comfy, and she handed him a mug.

"What is it?" He eyed it.

"Hot chocolate." She paused before she took a bit of the cookie. "Do you not like hot chocolate?"

"It don't look right."

"It's coco powder and milk. Taste it."

He met her eyes. "You're still wearin' the engagement ring."

"It's a family heirloom. I've had my eye on it long before Ed proposed, and I'm not giving it back. Ed wanted me to wear this really expensive engagement ring, but I love this one. It's simple and has a lot of history behind it. Every scratch has a reason, you know."

He smirked. "Like what?"

She stood up and moved beside him, turning the ring a little. "My mom and I went hiking when I was twelve, and I got lost in the woods. It was horrible, but my mom found me. I had gotten caught in the roots of an old tree with rocks and sticks, and she dug them out of the way to get me out. These are from then."

"'Bout this one?" He pointed to a random scratch.

She laughed. "Oh, gosh, I was eight. My grandmother had picked me up from school because I had been bullied—"

"Bullied? What'd they do?"

"They called me a freak and threw mud and rocks at me. It was at recess, and a few of the older kids were there, and I cried. The teacher found me twenty minutes later when I...broke the fence and ran away."

"You broke the fence?"

"Yep. Simple physics. I just...stole some tools from the school gardener, and it was like rolling off a log, really." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, they cleaned me up and sent me home. My grandmother hadn't given my mother her the ring yet, so that's why my grandmother is in this story. I forgot to mention that." She shook her head. "My grandmother and I made cookies all day. All day baking, and when I asked why everyone picked on me, why was I so freaky, why was I so ugly and hated, and she took me upstairs and braided my hair, let me wear her pearl necklace and earrings. She told me that the only thing ugly and freaky about me was the way I looked at myself. She told me this ring made her feel so beautiful therefore she was so beautiful, and then I—Gosh, what did I do? I can't remember, but it was one of the first marks on the ring. She would've killed me if it hadn't been for my dad coming and picking me up."

"Sounds like a good grandparent."

"She was." She sighed a little. "She died when I was nine, finally gave the ring to my mother, and last year, I got the ring for myself. Mom said it was mine, not hers, and she didn't need a ring like I did. I still don't understand that. Or the engravement, but oh well."

"Engravement?"

She slid the ring off and showed him. "It's Latin. Novem vivt. "

"What's it mean?"

"It means nine lives. Like a cat, but it's odd, because my grandmother hated cats." She pulled her legs in and shrugged, slipping the ring back on her finger. Or it would mean the woman who wear this ring get married and have nine different lives with nine different men. Grandmother did marry a lot. God, she hoped not. "What'd you get from your grandparents?"

"A strong disposition." She giggled. "Don't know. I ain't ever met 'em."

"Oh! God, I—I'm sorry. I just assumed—"

"Don't worry 'bout it."

She gave him a comforting smile. "Okay, what about your parents?"

"You wanna know?"

"If you're willing to talk to me about it then hell yes."

"There ain't much to say. They were gone a lot and then they died."

There was a story there, but she didn't want to push it. "Tell me about your first hunting trip." She met his eyes. "You and Merle?"

He nodded and began to tell her, and she listened to him so intently. He got really embarrassed by the attention she was giving him, her eyes were so trained on him, and she giggled at his blush. He scratched the back of his head and turned his face toward the fire, and she smiled. He told her about the first buck he shot, she told him that she'd never been hunting, and he gaped at her.

"Never?"

"My parents worked all the time, my grandmother was against hunting, and I was sheltered, because of the bullying. Is it fun? I don't understand the purpose, beside to keep animals from over populating."

"Fun? It ain't—It's hard to explain. You gotta be there. Do you wanna come with me? I go out every spring break. If you want, you can tag along."

"Are you asking me to spend the entire spring break with you?"

His cheeks went red, but he didn't look away. "Yeah."

"I think it's a bit too soon for you to be asking me for a week alone together, but in three months, I think we'll be there. If you want to date me that long, of course."

He met her eyes. "'Course I wanna date you that long." He leaned down and kissed her softly, and it was the type of kiss she'd always wanted Ed to kiss her like. She was glad it was Daryl who was kissing her and not Ed.

She cupped the back of his neck, pulling him closer, and he dragged her onto his lap, grasping her hips. She'd made up her mind that kissing was all right. It wasn't going to led anywhere. She wasn't going to do that to Ed. He...was mostly good to her, and she wasn't that person. Though Daryl's mouth and hands were about to sway her.

"Don't." He pulled back. "Stay still, you're gonna knock over your mug." He reached over and set it to the side.

"Thanks." She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. "So, this number, no larger than ten?"

He laughed. "You ain't lettin' that go, is you?"

"Just curious. You're a hell of a kisser, and I'm just wondering if it's from experience."

"What're you really askin' here?"

She sat back on his thighs. "How...far have you gone? This or all the way?" She kept her voice low, but she was the one who was embarrassed this time.

"I ain't a virgin."

"This is news." She couldn't meet his eyes. A part of her had hoped he was, because she could see herself easily falling for Daryl, and she wanted to make a lot happy, special memories with him. She didn't really have any with Ed, so she guessed that was why. Another part of her was glad he had some experience. God knows someone else she knew that didn't. But the part that she hated about herself wanted to know who. Damn jealousy.

"You wanna know who, don't you?"

"No. No, it's not my business." She moved her arm from around his neck and studied his shirt.

He chewed his bottom lip. "Could I stay for dinner?"

She lifted her head, smiling a little. "Of course. I'll be right back." She stood up and went to the kitchen. She grabbed a pack of chicken and filled a pot with water and tossed in four chicken flavored cubes. Her home phone rang as she added the chicken. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"What happened to your cell phone?" Lori demanded.

"What?"

"Ed has been calling me nonstop for an hour. An hour, Carol. I have so many messages on my phone, it won't save any more. I missed a call from Rick moving our dinner from six to five, and he thought I stood him up. What the hell are you doing? I am so pissed at you."

"Me? I'm not the one calling over and over, and I—lost my cell phone."

"Lair. I know that tone. Why are you lying?"

"It's complicated. I can't talk over the phone. I'll call Ed tonight, and I'll talk it out with him. He's supposed to be coming home soon, so hopefully he does."

"Are you breaking up with him?"

"Keep your nose on your face. I just have to talk to him. It's about the wedding." About there not being one. "If he calls again, tell him my phone broke, and I'll call him when I find the number. It's in my address book."

"The address book you lost, remember?"

"What's his number?" She grabbed the pen and notepad from the pantry that she used for grocery shopping. She wrote it down as Lori read it from her contacts. "Thank you. I'll call him now."

"Good luck."

"Bye." She hung up and dialed the number, rifling through the seasonings. She pushed up on the tips of her toes and grabbed the bottle of seasoning salt. Her fingertips brushed the top, it fell over and busted open. "Shit!"

"Excuse me?" It was Ed.

"I—nothing. I am so sorry. My phone broke, something with the battery." She wiped seasoning off her jeans, the kitchen door open, and she put a finger to her lips as Daryl entered.

"Your phone just...broke? It doesn't have anything to do with our talk the other night."

"Uh, no. No, it doesn't." She grabbed the bottle and swept the powder inside. "I still think it's too soon. Only fools rush in."

Daryl got the broom and bent down to pick up the lid silently.

"I love you, Carol, and I'd rather marry you sooner rather than later."

"I—I know you do." She exhaled. "Maybe I just have cold feet. It's... Is it too soon? Maybe we're trying to—"

"It isn't too soon. And why are you sayin' this? Huh? You want to marry someone else? Is that it?"

"No, I don't want to marry anybody," she snapped.

"Excuse me?" he growled.

"Look, I really need to talk to you, and you're a million miles away." She sighed. "Please, come back soon. It—it's really important."

"Okay. I'll be back soon, and we'll talk then. Oh, and Carol?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop eating so damn much when you're stressed out. Your fat ass won't fit in my car if you do." He hung up.

Her eyes burned, and she lowered the phone.

"Carol?" Daryl searched her eyes. "What'd he say?"

"Nothing." She sniffed. "It—it's nothing."

"You're cryin'. It ain't nothin'." He reached out and brushed away a tear. "I'll be here. When you break it off, I'll be here."

"That's sweet, but you don't have to do that."

"I'm gonna be here." He pulled her into his arms. "It ain't true. Whatever Ed said 'bout you, it ain't true."

She snuffled and gripped his shirt tightly in her fists. "How do you know?"

"I just do." He stroked her soft hair. "You ain't ugly or fat or worthless. You're never gonna be."

She buried her face in his chest, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her. She had a feeling this would be her favorite place to be. It felt so safe here, surrounded by the scent of rich earth, the faintest scent of cologne and warmth. It was the safest she'd felt with a man in a long time. But part of her worried. No, more like wondered how he knew the right words to say to comfort her. They weren't that close, they weren't finishing each other's sentences, so either Daryl was extremely sensitive or had gone through something similar.

"We're standin' in seasonin'." He released her and grabbed the dustpan, not looking at her as he swept it up.

"Thank you."

He gave a nod. "I'm gonna let Karma out." He left as silently as he'd come in.

She took a deep breath and pushed away Ed's words before adding seasoning to the chicken. She washed her hands and went to the back porch as Daryl played with Karma. She crossed her arms and wondered by Daryl would hug her to comfort her only to immediately push her away when she was just starting to calm down. Did he not like to be held? Did that make him uncomfortable? Why?

"You okay now?" Daryl peered up at her.

"Huh?" She came out of her thoughts. "Yeah. Of course."

He frowned. "You lyin' to me now?"

"What? No! No, of course I'm not lying. I—I just have some...things on my mind." She smiled a little. "My dogs likes you better than me. She tends to stare at the stick and not run after it." He laughed. "I'm serious. She looks at me like I should go and get it for her. Gosh, traitor! I'm the one that feeds you and loves you and grooms you."

She looked up at Carol with big brown eyes.

"No, no t-r-e-a-t-s, you don't need any."

She whined and went over to Daryl.

"Fine, he's your new owner. See if he'll get you one." She turned and went inside, and her phone rang again. She answered it, jumping as Karma bolted past her, going to the kitchen, and she sent a playful glare to Daryl. "Hello?"

"Good, so you are alive."

"Mom." She turned away from Daryl. "What is it?"

"Ed called."

"What'd he say?" She swallowed hard.

"He was blubbering about you wanting to call off the wedding. Is that true?"

"Would you be terribly disappointed in me if I say maybe?" She held her breathe.

"No, honey, I want you be happy. Personally, I think your father and Ed want this marriage more than you or I do. I do want grandkids, and I would like them before I'm dead."

"Mom, you're only forty-eight, so please don't say that. I'll have kids eventually, and you will be alive to see them be born, graduate and get married. Okay?"

"I'm not getting any younger here."

"I'm twenty-two. I don't...want children."

"Carol, you were ready to have a baby when you were a baby. You were born to be a mother. You used to complain about my mothering. Thanks for that, by the way."

"I love you so very much."

"I love you too. Here comes your father."

"Mom, no! No, he'll yell—" She heard her father take the phone. "Daddy! Hey!"

"How have you been?"

"Well. And you?" She'd always had a hard time relating to her father. She and her mother were almost the same person, but her dad was so different from her. They all loved the same field of science, but when it came to her love life and her other passions, he disagreed. Carol never told him anything really, because he and Ed were like best friends. They were drinking buddies too, and Carol was sure that's what made Dad so pleased they were getting married. Ed won over her father, so now her dad always asked "When's the big day" or "Are you two going to start trying soon". It's awkward. Carol didn't want to have kids...with Ed, anyway. She just didn't feel what her father wanted her to feel. It would break her father to hear about her plans than it did her. God, he would go nonverbal on her.

"Good. Things are good here. What about you? The wedding, I mean. Ed called, and he's concerned that you've moved on. Is that true?"

"Well, it's not completely untrue."

"Carol." He sighed. "We've talked about this."

"Dad—Daddy, I know we have, and I'd rather speak to Ed about this. I have company, so I have to go. I love you and Mom very much. Bye." She hung up and groaned.

"Rough conversation?" Daryl gazed at her.

"When aren't they?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Umm, feel free to watch TV. I need to check my e-mail. Excuse me." She walked to her office and closed the door. She sat down and turned on her laptop, easily accessing her e-mail account. She had twenty e-mails, all of them from Ed. She moved them into the folder she'd marked Ed and logged out. She signed into her other e-mail account that Ed didn't know about.

Lilly had sent an e-mailed about a Christmas lunch at school, Phillip had sent one about a meeting, and she had a few from parents, like Jean Walsh. Shane was failing, and Carol wasn't going to pass him when he never paid attention, made inappropriate comments about her and the other females in the class, and he was a complete asshole. It was A or B, and A was more polite.

She ran a hand through her hair and dropped her head on the desk. Why did she feel like this was going to be a very trying few weeks? If only Ed would mysteriously vanish, that way no one would get hurt. Deep inside, she felt strongly that it wasn't Ed would wind up getting hurt.


	7. Melissa Peletier

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

––

Lilly walked to Carol's classroom, weaving through hordes of teenagers holding or exchanging gifts, breaking the school rule of no PDA, but she didn't care. Phillip was probably in there somewhere, ruining their last day of mandatory school. Two days of exams—the sixteenth and seventeenth. She couldn't wait for them to get over with. She and Tara had plans to visit their father. Listening to the same old stories seemed so great though. She missed him and wanted to tell him the news. She was telling Carol second. Tara already knew.

"Carol?" She opened the door and saw Carol gathering her things. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I—I'm just exhausted. I can't be here today." She shouldered her bag, adjusting so it was at her hip. "Did you have something you wanted to tell me or let me know?"

"Yes, but it can wait."

"No. No, tell me." She closed the space between them.

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my God!" Carol smiled and hugged her. "That's incredible!"

"I know. I'm so excited. Tara is too. She wants a boy."

"That's surprising."

"I thought so too."

She laughed. "How far along are you?"

"I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon, so I'll let you know tonight. I'm estimating about a month though."

"That's fantastic. Congratulations." She smiled at her. "What do you want?"

"A little girl, of course, but as long as it's healthy, I don't care."

"True. Gosh, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. From what I've heard, you'll be having your own children soon."

"Beg your pardon?"

"You and Ed. You're getting married on the twenty-ninth. Aren't you?"

"Uh, no. No, our wedding date's...been move. I'll let you know when the actual date is. I have to go now, because I have a doctor's appointment, and I need to let them know I need a sub. I'm so happy for you, really." She grabbed her phone off her desk and left. She dealt with everything that needed dealing with then went home and stayed in bed.

––

Daryl got busy helping the librarian, so he couldn't see if Carol was in class or not. He walked around the school, running errand after errand, delivering papers to ISD, shelving books carrying boxes. He didn't get to rest for one minute. He was actually glad when the bell rang. He was a bit anxious about seeing Carol now. He'd never been in a relationship, and he'd certainly never been in a relationship with a teacher. He could always ask Shane. He'd been banging the girls' volleyball coach for two years.

When fourth rolled around, Daryl was last to go to class, but Carol wasn't even there. They had a sub. He sat in the back of the class and tuned her out as she went over the work Carol had left. It wasn't work so much as watching a Christmas movie and having cookies, pizza and soda that Carol had promised them at the beginning of the year if they passed their end of term exam. She'd given it early, and they all passed. He just wished she was here. It would've been more fun than listen to Maggie, Sasha and Amy talk.

"He's new," Amy whispered. "I think he's sweet."

Sasha dabbed grease off her pizza with a napkin. "I suppose. Glenn Rhee. He's Chinese?"

"Korean," Maggie replied, eating a pepperoni. "He's in my French class."

"He's in my Personal Financing class." Sasha set the napkin down and met Maggie's eyes. "Why did he transfer in on the last day? Isn't it weird?"

"I don't think so."

"He's bound to be either best friends with or a victim of Shane," Amy murmured. "I hate Shane. He's such an ass. I'm so glad I don't have any classes with him next semester. I might have to kill myself I I did."

"He's in our America at War class," Sasha reminded her.

"Son of a bitch." She groaned and took a bit of her cookie. "Carol made these, didn't she?"

"I assume so. They came in baggies with our names on them." Sasha held hers up. "White chocolate chip. My favorite."

"I have almond and chucky chocolate chip." Maggie glanced over at Daryl. "He didn't get any. Do you think he failed?"

"Doubtful." Sasha lowered her voice. "He and Carol are like best friends. It's so weird. I hear he goes over to her house."

"I doubt that's true." Amy shook her head. "I mean... She's engaged to Ed Peletier, I think."

"You're just jealous, because he's not fooling around with you," Maggie teased.

"Oh, shut up." Amy kicked her leg. "I'm not jealous. I'm defending Carol. She wouldn't do something so low. Seduce one of her students? No. She's too good of a person to do that. Loyal, you know."

"He does have nice arms," Sasha told Maggie. "Intense eyes too. I'd stoop low for that, especially if my fiancé was out of state all the time. I mean, think about it."

Maggie rested her chin on her palm. "Meeting up to study science, completely innocent, and she leans over, smelling his cologne, his maleness...and then her breast accidentally brushes his arm. The room is filled with heat of a taboo lust."

They all busted out laughing, Daryl rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat, and Shane made a gesture and moved to sit in front of Daryl. That was fine, but then Shane and turned to talk to him. That made the girls shut up, so he wouldn't hear their conversation and they could hear his.

"Hey, Daryl." He smirked. "You know where Ms. Jenner is?"

Daryl glared.

"What? You too stupid to talk?" Shane studied his face. "Missin' her a bit now. This sub ain't as hot, her ass ain't as nice. Know what I'm sayin'?"

Maggie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Disgusting."

"You'd know better than me. She really got a tattoo on her tit? You lick it?"

"You'd best shut the hell up," Daryl warned.

He chuckled. "What? Fine piece of ass like that...no man around to give her what she needs, and y'all seem real cozy." He was smirking again. "Bet she comes loud. Did she? Or are you too damn small to make her give it up?"

No one saw it coming, because of how calm the room was. The movie kept them mostly silent, the food was being eaten, the pop bottles were nearly empty, and Shane Walsh was tackled onto the floor where Daryl proceeded to give him a black eye, a broken nose and almost knocked out two of his teeth. Ceasar and two other football players kicked him off and helped Shane stand up as the sub called in the principal.

Dale and Phillip ran over to the classroom, Amy and Maggie were trying to help Daryl stand, and Shane was bleeding all over himself. Shane was sent the nurse, Phillip dragged Daryl to his office, and Dale was kicked out when he tried to argue that maybe it wasn't Daryl who's in the wrong. Phillip didn't listen, didn't care, and Daryl got two week at ALCs, five days in ISD and was no longer able to park on campus. Phillip was trying to make it hard on Daryl, but Daryl didn't care.

Dale waited for Daryl, and when he finally came out, Dale frowned. "You okay, son?"

He gave a nod.

"What happened?"

"Shane was disrespectin' Ms. Jenner, and I beat the shit outta him." He shrugged. "Why?"

"I just wanted to know. Go see the nurse, you need to get that look at." He pointed to Daryl's forehead.

"I'm goin' home. See you next year." He walked out of the office then the school and drove to Carol's. He was worried about her. She had no reason to not be at school unless she suddenly got sick. He felt fine, and they'd made out most of the day yesterday. He liked doing that, kissing her, touching her. She had the softest skin, the gentlest touch. He felt safe with her. He knew she was never going to hurt him, and that terrified him more than he thought it would. That meant she was willing to take their relationship further. She was twenty-two, he was eighteen. She would want more, wouldn't she?

He cleared his head when he pulled up in her driveway. He went around back and found Karma scratching at the door. He padded up the porch steps and knocked once, the door opened at his touch, and he frowned. He pushed the door open, Karma jumped up on him and he closed the door, locking it. He checked the living room and kitchen, but no one was there. All of the lights were out, and he got worried. He hoped he didn't find a dead body.

He walked down the hall to her bedroom and opened the door, finding her curled up asleep on her bed. He chuckled softly and stepped inside, closing the door behind him, locking Karma out. He removed his boots and climbed onto the bed, gently moving hair from her face. "Carol?"

She didn't wake, just turned her head a bit, giving him more access to her face.

"Carol."

Nothing.

He needed to talk to her, and he also needed to get home. He had to deal with Merle, because the school probably called him. He probably had an hour if Merle was still working. "Woman, you needa wake up." He groaned when she didn't, and he remembered how she told him she hated to be woken up by someone shaking her.

He looked her over, brushing another soft curl away from her face. He felt himself leaning down before he realized he wanted to kiss her. His lips touched hers, he could taste her lip gloss lingering on her soft lips, and he applied a bit more pressure. She began to stir beneath him, her hands grasping his forearms, and she smiled against his lips.

"'Bout time." He looked down at her.

"Good afternoon to you too." She stretched her arms. "You should be my alarm clock and wake me up like that every morning." She didn't open her eyes. "Mmm."

"Don't fall asleep."

"I'm not. How was school?"

"Been better if you was there." He sat back. "You been here all day?"

"Yeah. I was so exhausted." She opened her eyes. "Oh, my God, Daryl." She pushed the blankets back and grasped his chin, looking over the wound on his forehead. "What the hell happened?"

"It was nothin'." He dropped his eyes and noticed just what she was wearing. It wasn't a long t-shirt or a covering silk nightgown. She wore a thin dark blue nighty, the material showed her stomach and didn't go below her knees, and with the blanket gone, Daryl saw part of her upper thighs. He also noticed only one very thin strap on both shoulders, meaning Carol wasn't wearing a bra.

"That's something." She touched it tenderly. "The blood's dried." She went to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it. She glanced up as she squeezed enough water out of the rag so it wouldn't drip and blushed at what she was wearing. No wonder he was staring! She could hear her mother saying, "I raised you use your mind, not your body" and instantly got a headache. She grabbed her sweater on the way and slipped it on. "Hold still."

He sat on the edge of the bed and she wiped the blood off his forehead, careful to not reopen the wound. "Does this hurt?"

"No." He kept his eyes locked on the wall.

"Tell me what happened, and I'll give you a sucker," she teased.

He snorted. "Just Shane."

"What about Shane?" She folded the washrag. "Did he say something?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he did."

"What was it about?" She hoped it wasn't something crude about him or his brother or the way they live. There was nothing wrong with it. People do what they must to survive, and at least they have clothes on their backs, shoes on their feet, and a roof over their head. Shane was such a spoil jock who needed to be slapped by reality.

"He was talkin' crap 'bout you, and I hit him."

"About me?" She paused and met his eyes. "What about me?"

"Sexual comments 'bout us."

"Sexual—what? Why would he ever say something like that?"

"'Cause he's been watchin' us, and Shane's tryin' to get a rise outta me."

"And he did." She set the washrag on the nightstand and grasped the hairs at the base of his neck, tipping his head back. "Don't give him what he wants so easily." She searched his eyes. "He's a prick, and he's only going to get worse the more you indulge in his little games."

"I know that."

"I know you do, but I need you to take it to heart." She cupped his cheeks and kissed him. "Otherwise I can't do this." She pressed another kiss to his lips, he slid his arms up and around her back, and she smiled against his mouth. "Just ignore him. He doesn't know me or you, so it doesn't matter what he thinks."

"I just can't stand for people to talk 'bout other people." He slid his arms down to her hips. "Especially people who mean a lot to me."

She brushed his bangs to the side. "I know, but the more anger you show, the more suspicious they'll become. There's about six more months until you graduate, and I doubt you'll even have Shane in any of your classes next semester."

"I'll try."

Her phone rang.

"Excuse me." She picked up the phone. Great, it's Ed's mother. She didn't want to answer, because Ed's mother was so kind. She was the sweetest woman in the world, and she was genuine about it too. She had no idea her son was a monster, and Carol would never have the guts to tell her what he was. She was like another mother to Carol, and Carol would love to be the woman to give her two beautiful little grandbabies, but it wasn't her. It would never be her.

"Excuse me for a minute." She left the room and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Carol."

"Hi, Melissa." She gripped her arm with her free hand. "How have you been? I haven't heard from you in a while."

"I've been good. How are you?"

"Fine. Fine, I'm just fine." She chewed on her bottom lip.

"That's good to hear. I was worried." She paused. "Are you busy?" "Right now? Just a little. I have company over."

"How about tonight? Will you be free then?"

"What for, might I ask?"

"A dinner party. We can go over the wedding, and I have something I want to give you."

"I would love to. What time and where?"

"It's at my place at eight. You can dress however you want. It's only going to be a few people, and your parents are coming too."

"Ooh, you don't say? Lovely. I—I'll be there."

"I can't wait!" Carol could see her smile. "I'll see you then, dear."

"Yeah. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

She hung up and sighed. The wedding... God, she was going to break that old woman's heart. She didn't want to hurt anyone, maybe Ed, but she didn't want to sever her relationship with Melissa. She was so sweet and always welcomed Carol into her home. She was so unlike her son, so Carol suspected Ed was like his father, and that meant he was abusive to Melissa as well. They were married for forty-five years before he died three years ago. Melissa was so sad, and Ed insisted Carol spend some time with her to ease her pain. They grew really close during that time, and when Carol tells her about her plans to call off the wedding... Melissa will just die.

"Son of a bitch." She sat down on the floor and whimpered a little. She felt horrible. She and Melissa had talked about grandkids together and the wedding cake and the flower arrangements in the garden. It was going to be at her place, Ed's childhood home, with fresh lilies and roses, a beautiful wooden arch in the backyard where Ed and she were supposed to say their vows like Melissa and Edward had done. She was so excited about it, and honestly Carol was too, but not anymore. God, it made her ache more to think about telling Melissa than it did to think about telling Ed.

Karma scampered over to her and rested her head on Carol's thigh.

"What am I going to do?" She ran a hand over her face and gripped a handful of hair. She had to go obviously, but how was she going to tell her? She couldn't. If she told Melissa, Melissa would tell Ed, and Carol would have to deal him sooner rather than later. She needed time to think and process everything that was going on. God, help her.

Daryl leaned in the doorway, hanging back so that Carol couldn't see him, and he waited silently.

She sighed and stood up, Karma stared up at her, and she stumbled into the kitchen. She began to prepare some tea, and she set her face on the counter. If she didn't have such a soft spot for that woman.

"Hey." Daryl stepped into the kitchen. "You all right?"

"No." She straightened up and faced him. "I—That was Ed's mother. She wants to have me and my parents over for dinner to discuss the wedding."

"Right, the wedding." He crossed his arms. "You're goin'?"

"Of course. I don't really have a say. I have to play the dutiful fiancée, and I have to come up with a way to tell her that I'm not marrying her beloved son without her hating me. She's my friend, and I love her. How can I do this to her?"

"It ain't 'bout her. It's 'bout you. I can't explain why you want to end your engagement." He stuffed his hands into his jacket pocket. "I'll see you tomorrow. I gotta test." He walked over to her, kissed her on the cheek and left.

She pursed her lips and glanced over at the time. It was almost five. She would need to shower and find something decent to wear and then find something to bring. She felt bad if she didn't bring something with her, like a bottle of wine or a dessert. She didn't want to feel like they should provide everything, even if they felt like they should.

She glanced at the doorway. What Daryl had said to her was so true. He couldn't explain why she ended her engagement. She knew why. Or she thought she did. Ed was a controlling man, and he was already trying to—and was somewhat succeeding—dictate her life, and marriage would only bind her to him. She knew he was his father's son, and she didn't want to tell her parents what he was like. They didn't need to worry about her, and her mother was a hardass. She would probably follow him into an alley and throw some viscous chemical on him that could be fatal. Her father would probably argue with her until her mother convinced him what Carol was saying was true. But that didn't matter. Her parents' opinions didn't matter, Daryl's didn't matter, and Melissa's didn't matter. Only hers mattered. She needed to remember that.

She took a long, hot shower and decided on what to wear while she dried her hair and dug through her makeup. She really didn't want to put makeup on and a dress, but when Melissa says "dinner party" that means a lot of important people will be there, and if she wasn't dressed to the nines, she would hear it all day tomorrow from Ed. No matter where she went, he knew about it. She hated that. She felt like he was everywhere, and she always worried he would see her do something he didn't like and that'd be the start of an abusive relationship. She wanted out of their relationship before he put his hands on her.

She adjusted the ankle strap and glanced in the mirror. She looked like a redhead version of her mother, especially with the curls in her hair and the pearl earrings. She wore her favorite little black dress. It was modest, and it was comfortable, so that was all that mattered.

She grabbed her purse and a bottle of champagne, locking the door before she left. She would just have to grin and bear it and hope that nobody asked questions about why her smile looked so forced.


	8. Clair De Lune

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

––

The dinner party was surprisingly small. It was Melissa, Mom, Dad, a wedding planner, and a few friends, like Lori and Rick. She'd hired the best of the best as usual, but it was nice. It was comfortable, though the pictures Melissa had had blown up of Carol and Ed from their wedding announcements that were tossed about the room, but it was a nice touch, very...heart aching.

"Carol!" Melissa smiled. She was a small woman, her graying hair was in a high bun, and she wore a simple blue dress with just a touch of makeup. She looked beautiful and happy. God, how was Carol going to do this? "I'm so glad you made it."

Carol smiled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was late."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was late to these events all of the time, but my reason was entirely different that yours." She gently tucked a curl behind her ear. "You look absolutely gorgeous, my darling. And you brought champagne?"

"Well, I can see you don't need it."

"I'll save it for another night. Perhaps we can get together and have dinner sometime, and we can share it then." She gently took the bottle. "Make yourself at home and eat something. You get smaller and smaller by the second."

_If only your son agreed, _she bitterly thought. "Thanks."

Her mom was nonchalantly waving her over, Carol excused herself and went over to her. Carol hugged her, smiling, and her mom kissed her on the cheek. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't been out to visit. I've been so busy with school and homework."

"Yeah is not a word," she told her teasingly.

"Oh, yeah?" Carol mused.

"You look well. I'm glad." Candace searched her daughter's face and her borrows furrowed. "What happened?"

Carol tensed. She'd forgotten how her mother could see right through her. That's why she didn't visit, because her mother would see that she had met someone, and she knew her mom would drag it out of her like she always did. That was the only bad thing about being her daughter. They had a strong connection, and they often saw right through the other.

"What do you mean?" Carol took a glass of white wine from the tray offered to her and she took a sip.

Candace simply smiled wider. "How's school?"

Carol narrowed her eyes. "It's going well. My students aren't as respect as I'd like, but they're teenagers, who do they respect?"

"I told you to try for college."

"I know, but I like it. I've made some friends, and I'm helping a student get into college. He's even raised his GPA to almost an even 3 point oh. With a little more work, he'll be going to college next year with a full scholarship."

"He who?" Edwin asked as he slid his arm around his wife's waist and smiled lovingly at them.

"Uhh, Daryl Dixon."

"Daryl Dixon?" Candace's brows rose.

"So, you have heard of him?" Damn.

"Of his brother," she corrected. "He broke into our facility with a few other men and stole some chemicals ten years ago. I didn't know Daryl was still in school. Well, he'll need some tutoring, and you're best one to do it."

"You're tutoring him?" Edwin frowned. "At the school, right?"

"Edwin," Candace softly hissed.

"I just want to make sure he won't rob her. You never know what those Dixons will do. Like with their father." He shook his head.

"Their father?" Carol curiously asked. "What happened with their father?"

"No one knows. He just disappeared one day. Everyone assumed he left town or died in a car accident or drank himself to death, but I know better."

"Edwin, please."

"It was those boys," he told Carol, lowering his voice. "They killed him."

Her stomach tightened.

"You don't have any proof, and for all we know John Dixon did up and leave or killed himself drinking. Those rumors are nothing but lies and exaggerations," Candace stated.

He sighed, but nodded.

"So, he's doing well?" she asked Carol.

"Very well." She felt numb. "He's intelligent, but he's been...almost trained to discourage himself. I'm going to do everything I can to help him."

"That's a brave thing to do," Edwin told her. "But you should be focusing on the wedding preparations. You've left everything to poor Melissa."

"Ed and I...need to speak before any wedding plans are made," she told them.

"Have you changed your mind?" her mother asked—she wore—hopefully.

Carol felt five years old as her father eyed her.

"Carol Elaine Jenner," he began.

"We just need to talk," she mumbled. "I...just need to know a few things before any more dates are set."

They didn't speak on this anymore, because Melissa gave an announcement about dinner and Carol's arrival. A lot of people spoke to her, Lori made fun of her in the distance, and Carol tried not to let herself be overwhelmed by the amount of people asking her questions. She kept her mother close, but her dad at a distance.

When the questions got to be too much, Melissa covered for them and let them slip away. Carol walked around the house, her mother let her be alone and Carol found herself just outside Ed's bedroom. She opened the door and peered inside.

It was quite a room. A king-sized bed with the mahogany bed frame that drunk Ed had broken accidentally when he came home and didn't find her in bed while Melissa was away on business, and the black silk sheets where playful Ed used to hold her down and tickle her, back when it was making love. The wooden floors where funny Ed and she spent hours studying for exams, the black leather sofas where serious Ed used to talk about their future, and the window seat where dominating Ed would make her cry and die just a little more inside.

She saw all of those Ed's and herself in that room, but only two f those Ed's were playful and sweet and made her happy. And when she thought back to her room, she saw Daryl, gently kissing her, talking to her, laughing at her, making her smile. There would be more Daryls to come, but not one of them scared her like serious Ed or dominating Ed. Not...one of them forced her into things...situations she didn't want to be in. This room spoke to her, and it told her to get the hell out now.

She stepped inside though and looked over the many pictures he had of her, and she noticed some of them were taken without her knowing. It wasn't a sneak shot, it was like someone was following her. She picked up a picture of her at the coffee shop getting coffee from Amy, who worked there on the weekends, and she stared. Was Ed following her? She turned it over and removed the back, and a flood of pictures fell out. "Shit!"

She dropped to her knees and scooped them up, seeing a lot more pictures of herself and some with her and Lori. She gasped as she found more pictures of her in her house, some taken from outside the window, some in broad daylight in her backyard, and some were recent, showing her and Daryl studying on her porch.

"Carol?" Melissa stepped into the room.

She shot up and stuffed back into the frame. "I'm sorry. The back fell off." She set it down and turned to face her. "Is dinner ready?"

"No, I just came to talk to you." She sat down on the bed. "You've been distant lately."

"Yes, I've been teaching at the local high school, and I've been swamped with work."

"That's not what I mean." She met her eyes. "Edward called me."

"Oh." She fell back into the sofa behind her.

"He said you wanted to call of the wedding."

"No, I never said that."

"But that's what you meant, wasn't it?" She searched her eyes. "Talk to me, Carol."

"It's just been a rough couple of months," she whispered. "He's gone all the time, and when I do see him, it's only for a day, and he's never alone."

"Oh, honey." She moved beside Carol. "I know it's hard not seeing him everyday, and it probably won't change when you're married, because to Peletier men, work is everything." She took her hand in both of hers. "But Peletier women...we're strong and independent and wealthy."

Carol laughed a little. "So I should married him for the money?"

"You're young, and I understand your doubts, but it won't always be like this. You may be lonely, but when he comes back, you'll want for nothing. And once you have a child, everything else...is meaningless. When you hold your first child, you'll see what I mean."

She did want. She wanted the one thing that would turn her parents against her and even Melissa against her. She simply nodded.

"And if you ever feel lonely, come and stay with me for a while. I'll start talking to the walls otherwise."

She looked at Melissa with concern. She never though the woman was lonely until now. Carol had Karma and Lori to keep her company and of course Daryl, but Melissa had nobody. How awful.

"When they start talking back then be concerned," she said. "Now, come keep an old woman company."

"You're not _that_ old."

"Oh, God love you, honey."

Carol smiled, Melissa led her downstairs, talking the entire way, and Carol had a feeling Melissa knew how much Ed was like this father than she let on. Carol didn't want to bring her anymore in her relationship than she already was, so she just nodded, as if remembering ever single world Melissa was saying. This was going to be a long night.

"Having fun yet?" Lori asked once Carol was semi-free.

"You're enjoying this too much."

"I am." She smiled.

"Just wait until it's your wedding," Carol nodded toward Rick, "then we'll see who's laughing."

Lori looked at Carol then Rick then her glass. "I need more to drink before you make jokes like that."

"You're a horrible person."

"I was kidding."

"Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh."

They looked at each other and laughed, Rick came over and politely took their drinks, and they laughed even more.

––

Carol gazed up at the night sky, only seeing a few stars. She'd been out here for an hour now, just enjoying the night air and the peace of silence. She loved this balcony. It showed the beautiful garden all lit up, and it was on the second floor far enough away that she didn't see or hear anybody. It was so nice.

"Hey, Clair de Lune." Candace joined her daughter on the balcony.

Carol straightened up from leaning over the railing and turned her head. "You haven't call me that since I was young."

"You are young." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you know why I call you that?"

"Mm-mmm." She shook her head.

"Clair de Lune...moonlight." She smiled. "Your father and I—"

"I don't want to know." She covered her head. "I changed my mind!"

She elbowed her gently, and Carol lowered her hands. "Your father and I wanted a child. Me especially, but...my body disagreed with me, and nothing worked. We wanted our own child, and it killed your father every day that he couldn't give me a child."

"You've never told me this." She frowned.

"I know." She met her eyes. "We stopped trying, and we focused on our work even more. We'd grown so distant, and we didn't even know it. I worked through the night, he worked all day, and we never saw each other, because I was head scientist, and he was just a scientist."

Carol felt her heart aching just trying to imagine that. "What happened?"

"Well, we'd forgotten our anniversary somehow, and one of my interns noticed. She took it upon herself to make a beautiful dinner for us, and she managed to get us both out there without the other knowing. When we arrived, the candles were lit and there was a woven basket with a note on it, and we were both confused. We had no idea what the hell was going on." She laughed for some reason. "Well, I picked up the note, and it said happy fifth. It dawned on us then, and we felt horrible. So we sat down and just...talked. We talked until the sunset, and he opened the basket and found the dish we'd eaten on our first date wrapped inside, and it was still warm."

"And you ate it." Carol nodded.

"No, I started crying."

"Crying? Why?"

"She had gotten every detail perfectly right, and we didn't even have gifts for each other. It just touched me, and I cried and Edwin held me."

"And you ate?" Carol hopefully asked.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No." Carol glared slightly. "While he was comforting me, I kissed him, and we ended up having an awkward moment, because we were still in our lab coats, and he had on goggles still. It was horribly embarrassing, but once they were out of the way, we—"

"I get it. I know what you did." She was trying really hard not to picture it.

"Then afterward we ate."

"That's how you conceived me? At the CDC on the lawn?"

"No, I didn't get pregnant that night, but two weeks later, Edwin and I broke a lot of rules in the lab, and the next day, I threw up...on him." Carol cringed. "He took it pretty well, and after he cleaned himself up, we went to work, where I got sick again...on my intern."

"Should I be standing here? I can still hear you over there."

She glared. "I went to the doctor to see if I had the flu or a stomach bug, and I was pregnant with you."

She smiled. "You threw up on the doctor, didn't you?"

"Ha ha." She poked Carol in the forehead. "I call you moonlight, because that night saved our marriage. I say it in French, because our first date was at a French restaurant."

"That's...sweet, I guess, but I don't know why you told me that story."

"Love never goes away. It can be put aside, forgotten even, but it true love never goes away."

"You think I should marry Ed?"

"God no." She shook her head.

"You don't?" She smiled inside. "Why not?"

"I have my reasons, but they're mine alone, and I won't let my opinion influence you. But I will tell you this: don't marry him because it's expected by everyone but you. Don't marry anyone if it's expected by everyone but you, okay?"

"I love you, Mom." She hugged her.

"I love you too." She kissed the top of her head. "Let's go inside."

"Hey, what was the name of that intern? Have I met her?" Carol asked as they went inside.

"Carolyn Posey." She stopped by the stairs and waited for her.

Carol smiled and fell into step beside her. "Tell me one more story."

"What story is that?"

"How you met Dad. You never told me that story either."

"Because it proves I have no coordination, and I'm the reason he drinks tea in the morning."

"What?"

"We met in college. I was working on a term paper, and I was doing an all-nighter, which meant I was doing everything but my paper. At four in the morning, I made a pot of coffee to take back to my dorm, and I ran into it."

"Ra—You didn't!"

"Yeah, almost an entire pot of fresh and very hot coffee got poured on him. I took him to the hospital, and we stayed there all night. I had no idea who he was, and he was drugged up on painkillers, so I had to wait for him to wake up so I could get his name and help him fill out the papers. It was horrible. I spent so much money on flowers and cards, because I felt so bad, and I didn't leave his side once."

"Then?"

"Well, he was unconscious for about two days, and when he woke up, I was passed out on his bed beside him. I completely freaked him out. He didn't see me when I ran into it, because it was dark, so he tried to pushed me off the bed to get away."

"Oh, my God."

"I uncurled from his side and freaked out, because he was freaking out, and the doctors rushed in. They explained what happened, I went blood red and almost died in the corner of the room, but he wanted to talk to me, so I couldn't leave." She went a little pink at the memory. "And he asked me out."

"Really?"

"I was shocked myself, but he wanted to thank me for taking care of him and not leaving him on the sidewalk."

"That's almost cute."

"No, nothing about that was cute, and I almost stood him up."

"Why?"

"I was embarrassed, and I couldn't find anything to wear, and I hadn't finish my term paper."

Carol had flashbacks to college when Lori would ask her to come to a party with her, and Carol would day, 'I didn't finish my homework'. God, she was just like her mother. That's horrifying.

"I went, the date went well and here we are now," she said. "If you'll excuse me."

Carol followed her mother with her eyes, and she smiled at her parents. They were a good match, and she'd always wanted someone who was a good match for her too. She noticed her mother nod at her, and she backed out of the room. She left the Peletier estate and headed to that match.

––

Daryl rolled over, falling off his bed, and he groaned. He stood up at the sound of a motorcycle pulling up, and he stumbled out to answer the door since Merle probably forgot this key. He opened the door and moved aside as Merle stumbled into the house. Daryl helped him back to his bedroom and closed the door.

He was hungry, and he was too tired to hunt, so he had to make a choice. Sleep or wake up and eat. He decided to go back to bed, because he wasn't that hungry. He was on his way back to bed when someone knocked on the door. It was probably Merle's "date". He opened the front door to tell her to go away, but found Carol in the doorway. He swallowed hard at the sight of her.

She was bent over removing her heel, having only one on, the second heel was in her other hand, and the dress she wore was pushed up toward her thighs. She removed her heel and stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and he couldn't ask her what was doing here, because she kissed him. It was brief, but he got the message.

She searched his eyes, and he nodded a little before grasped her face in his hands and kissed her possessively. She smiled against his mouth, and she was grateful for the unsolved Dixon problem.


	9. A Walk In The Wood

They lied in his bed, Carol wore one of his shirts, because he didn't want her to wrinkle the dress, and his shirt showed more of her thighs when they lied down. With Merle in the other room and Ed lingering only a few feet behind, it seemed, they didn't do anything but talk. Daryl didn't mind. He wanted to wait. If anything had happened, he would basically be sharing Carol with Ed, and he didn't share, not when it came to her.

"How was the party?" He ran his fingers through her soft hair.

"Boring and full of people I probably will never see again." She shifted her leg to lay across his hips. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah." It didn't matter where her _leg_ was, his entire body was awake and sensitive to _any_ movement she made.

"I never knew why I wanted to leave Ed," she confessed. "I...just wanted to leave him."

"Do you know why now?"

She nodded. "He's...not the man I want to be with for the rest of my life. My mom—my parents helped me realize that tonight." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm not saying I've found the man I want to be with for the rest of my life, but I'm with a man that I wouldn't mind being with for the rest of my life."

He tensed up.

"I'm not asking for marriage, Daryl, don't worry. I don't want to get married any time soon. I just want to be with you, only you." She placed a kiss to his neck and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "Please, don't freak out on me."

"I ain't freakin' out," he assured her. "I'm just thinkin'."

"About what?" She sounded tired.

"There's a lot we don't know 'bout each other."

"I don't want to force you to do or say something you aren't ready for, and I'm fine waiting." She propped herself up on her elbow so she could see his face. "Nothing has to be rushed."

"I know, but there's some...things...'bout me and my family you ain't gonna like."

"Everyone has things about themselves they think are ugly."

"It ain't that," he mumbled.

"Yes, it is." She frowned when he pulled away from her. "Daryl, it's completely human to think there's something bad about you, something that no one can love. I have those thoughts too."

"The hell you think you got that nobody ain't gonna love?" he growled.

She blinked, realizing this may be deeper than a few ashamed thoughts.

"You're gorgeous," he spat venomously, "brilliant, wealthy. The hell you got?"

"Daryl, I didn't—"

"'Course you didn't." He swung off the bed. "Tsk, bitch."

"Stop calling me that!" She climbed to her feet on the bed. "I am not a bitch! I may not know every little about you, but don't you dare assume my life is perfect just because it looks that way!"

"Have you ever gone hungry? Had no place to stay? No clothes? Nothin' at all but your brother?"

"No, that's never happened to me, but other things have."

"Does your new car not shine enough?"

She flicked the bedroom light on and pushed the sleeve to his shirt up. "Look."

He took her wrist and looked. He faintly saw pink scars. He stared. "The hell?"

"I was bullied all through school," she confessed. "Online, in school, outside of school. I never got away from it. It was so bad that I spent my lunches locked in a bathroom cell, crying, because four girls were outside harassing me. I couldn't even sit in class without one of them whispering horrible lies about me to every in the room. My freshmen year, I was locked in the girls' locker room with four senior boys." Her eyes burned in memory. "And...if it hadn't been for Dale, they would have raped me."

His eyes grew wide.

"And my sophomore year, strange men came to my house—to my house!—and what the rate was for one hour. It got worse when I went to school, because the guys would purposefully grab at me—my ass, my chest, my face, my hair—anything they could reach. None of the teachers did anything, because I couldn't prove any of it happening." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "And my junior year, they...attacked me. These four girls followed me after school and beat me up in the parking lot. They broke my arm, knocked two of my fingers out of place, gave me a concussion and made me bleed when I went to the bathroom."

He lowered his eyes, his heart heavy.

"I tried to kill myself four days after that attack. I took an entire bottle of sleeping pills, but my mom came home right after and rushed me to the hospital. I slit my wrist twice, but they weren't that deep. I was about to slit my wrist vertically when my dad walked into my bedroom asking for his microscope back. And then..."

He couldn't hear another word. He didn't want to hear another word. He always say her as this light at the end of a dark tunnel, perfect and radiant, but knowing she was just like him...made him ache for how stupid and selfish he'd just been.

"And after they cleaned me up, Mom took me to the church and talked to me. She wasn't the biggest believer, but it was the only thing she could think of at the time. My parents didn't believe in therapy, so they gave me God." She sat down on the bed and sniffed.

"Did that help?" he whispered.

"Yes." She wiped her eyes. "I—I was torment for one more year then those bitch finally graduated, and karma kicked in."

"What happened?"

"Two of them died in a car accident after a night of partying, one of them overdosed, and the last girl is alive and working at the school."

"How did karma help? Who is it?"

"Karen Kelly," she replied.

"That PE bitch?" His nose crinkled.

"And karma's still working on her." She sniffed.

He tugged his shirt over his head, she looked up, her cheeks going red, and he dropped his shirt on the floor. She noticed silvery-pink scars all over his torso and raised up on her knees. She gently touched a scar by his hip, running her finger over it, and he closed his eyes, very tense.

"Oh, my God." She stood up and looked at his back, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my God."

"My dad was an alcoholic, and he used to beat me...us." She wrapped her arms around him from behind protectively. "He'd just pound on me for hours, throwin' shit, screamin'." He shook his head. "Got real bad."

"Why did your mother do?" she whispered.

"Didn't start til she was gone. I guess he beat her too then Merle...then me when Merle left."

"Why didn't you tell anybody?"

"Nobody cared."

"I care."

"Didn't know you then." He shrugged. "It was just me and Merle."

"What happened to him? Did he leave? Did you make him leave?"

"Nah, nothin' like that. Bastard just...disappeared, like a fart on the breeze."

She snuffled. "I am so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." He gripped her hands with his. "I'm alive, ain't I? And I got you, so it's all right."

She half-sobbed, half-laughed, and he enjoyed the feel of her arms around him, holding him. No one had ever held him before, but he liked it more than he thought he would. She didn't cry for him, because she felt bad for him. She cried for him, because she was proud of him. He was a beautiful man who came from a dark past and didn't let that beat him. She didn't know it was thanks to her that he was able to do so.

––

Carol smelled bacon, eggs and coffee, but she could feel that was Daryl was still in bed with her. She sat up, her hair fell in her face, and she rubbed her eyes. She slid off the bed, careful not to wake Daryl, and she found Merle in the kitchen. He'd gotten them breakfast from a nearby diner.

"Don't try and hide now, Mousy." He didn't even look back at her.

"How did you know I was here?" She parked a block away.

"I saw you and Darylina all curled up this mornin'," he replied. "Figured y'all might be hungry too."

"That was sweet of you." She walked over to the counter. "I can pay you back. I didn't mean to stay the whole night."

"Don't worry 'bout it, darlin'." He met her eyes. "Don't worry 'bout it."

"And why not?"

"You're good for him, and my brother means everything to me, so breakfast is on me." He leveled a finger at her. "This ain't an everyday thing. This is a one-time thing, got it?"

She nodded. "I would never reveal the best of you."

He narrowed his eyes at her then picked up his coffee. "No sex on the couch, I just had it cleaned." He left the house then.

Daryl yawned as he came into the room. "You got breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Smells good." He sifted through the bag and pulled out the containers. "What, you didn't wanna be seen with a Dixon?"

"No! No, it's not like that at all." She was blushing.

"I'm kiddin'." He leaned over and kissed her slowly. "I like this better."

She bit her lip. "Me too."

They ate on the couch, the TV played some cartoon, and they didn't speak. It was nice, comfortable. They met eyes from time to time and laughed a little for no real reason, there was nothing funny said or done, but they laughed. Daryl had never felt like this before, and he couldn't explain it either. It was so unlike him.

They dressed, Carol got clothes from her gym bag in her car that Daryl had politely retrieved for her, and they took a walk in the woods, holding hands. Daryl had his crossbow out of habit, and Carol didn't mind just as long as she didn't have to watch him kill anything.

"Do you really want to hear?" She sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay. For my sweet sixteen, my parents spent the morning with me then my friends took me out to a hotel where we spent the night, and they got me drunk. They were of age, but I wasn't, and I was curious. I'd never had a drink before. We ended up in the hot tube all three of us, and we were so hungover. I had on my Lori's sweater, wearing only my underwear underneath, and Lori had on some guy's t-shirt with heels and no underwear, and Shelia had was fully dress in someone else's clothes. We literally had no idea whose clothes they were." He busted out laughing at the image she'd painted. "So, we ran inside and found these three guys passed out on the floor completely naked. I nearly fainted, because my parents had sent me a text, telling me they were coming to pick me up for breakfast, and that was twenty minutes ago. We had to wake them up, get them dressed and out of the hotel room then we had to get dressed."

"Did it work?"

"Thankfully! Lori threw me into the shower and met my parents downstairs to buy us some time. Shelia managed to pack and clean everything up, and I didn't smell like a bar when they came up, so they never found out."

"Damn, you got lucky."

"Tell me about yours." She peered at him. "I know it wasn't like anyone else's, and that's why I want to know."

"Ain't much to tell," he admitted. "Merle was drunk, I hunted for somethin' to eat, and one of Merle's girls brought me a cake. She was obsessed with him, and it was an excuse to see him again."

"Was the cake at least good?"

"Too sweet, but yeah."

"When is your birthday?"

"August tenth. You?"

"April fifteenth."'

"Really?"

"No, I'm lying."

"I just—My mom's birthday was in April."

"Really?" She smiled a little. "That's kind of neat."

"You think?" She nodded. "I was lyin'."

She scoffed. "I walked right into that."

He laughed. "Yeah, you did."

He showed her his version of biology, showing her the different kind of mushrooms, teasing her when she wouldn't try one, and he showed her the basics of tracking. She managed to find a raccoon, and he smiled at how fascinated she became with it. He had to show her more, because she liked it. She got a few prints wrong, and he tried not to laugh at her, but he couldn't help it. She was so childish like this. He loved seeing this side of her.

"Fine. Is it a dog?" She was running out of guesses. "A cat?"

"It's a possum."

"A po—Damn it." She stood up. "Don't smirk at me."

"I ain't."

"You aren't? What's that?" She pointed to his mouth. "That is a smirk."

"All right, I'll do this then." He moved her hand and kissed her. He set his hand on her neck, bringing her closer, and she rested her hands on his hips. It was slow and sweet, and the rest of the world drained away. It'd been a long time since a simple kiss could do that to Carol, and it was the first time anything like this had happened to Daryl. Daryl had a feeling a lot of firsts were going to happen between them.

Carol pulled back. "Come on, you have more to show me." She stepped back and walked ahead.

He fell into step beside her and continued with his version of biology.

––

_**Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Zoom. Dim. Shutter. Shutter. Zoom. Zoom. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Zoom. Compromised view. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter. Shutter.**_


	10. Honey, I'm Home

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

_**–– **_

Carol brushed the grime off her teeth from the catfish she'd ingested the previous night. She enjoyed spending the day with Daryl, but fish was not her favorite thing in the world. At least not fish that fresh. It still freaked her out to watch him cut it open and slice it up to cook. She know how it worked, but she didn't want to see it. On the upside, Daryl could cook well.

There was a knock on the door, she spat out toothpaste and tipped back the cap full of mouthwash, quickly swishing and rinsing her mouth out. She wiped her chin off and hurried to the door. She smiled until the person on the other side was revealed.

"Honey, I'm home." Ed stepped inside and kissed her briefly. He reached out and wiped something off the side of her mouth. "Missed a spot."

"You're home." Her voice was disbelieving and hollow, not at all excited or happy like she should've been. "You're home. Why? I thought you had to work for a few more weeks." She closed the door as he set his suitcase down and removed his jacket.

"We can talk about that later." He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her again.

"Ed, wait," she tried say in between his hungry kisses. "Ed, please."

"I just cut my business trip short, and all you want to do is talk." His eyes were cold, and Carol knew where this would go.

"Ed—"

"I bought you something," he cut her off.

"You did?" She watched him closely as he opened his suitcase. "You shouldn't have."

"I wanted to." He pulled out a bag and then lifted up a light blue all-over lace detailing babydoll dress. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." She reached out and touched the soft material, lifting her eyes to his. "Do you want to me to wear this?"

"Yes."

"I—I'm not feeling so well." She crossed her arms over her stomach. "I think it's my period."

"Carol, you had your period already. I'm not stupid. I can do the math, and I pay the bills, that includes your credit card."

She chewed her bottom lip. "You just got home, do you have to start?"

"Excuse me?"

"I—I just mean—Aren't you hungry? I can make you something to eat."

"I already told you what I want. Don't push me, Carol. I'm not in the mood." He tossed the dress at her. "And you know what I like."

She caught the dress and glared at him, but just a little. She started for her bedroom, he grabbed her arm, and she almost cried out at the force he used to grab her. "What?" she asked through her teeth, pain burning up her arm.

"If I were you, I'd get rid of that look. Permanently." He released her.

She walked to the bedroom and her eyes burned. She forced herself not to do anything, because he was definitely willing to do something back. She changed into the dress, brushing her hair out of the burn and zipping up the boot he liked. She felt pretty for the most part, but all she wanted to do was curl up and die. She did not want to do this. She wanted to climb out the window, find Daryl and run very far away with him.

She removed her necklace and set it on the counter. When she lifted her eyes, Ed was behind her. Her skin crawled as he ran his hand down her shoulders, grasping her hips. She let out a small whimper, but Ed took it was a moan, and she closed her eyes as his lips touched her neck. She went back to the woods, back holding hands and laughing with Daryl and let the rest fall away.

––

Ed decided they were going out for dinner, he made her wear a cutout neck black dress with black heels, and she was allowed to wear her hair and makeup as she wanted. She numbly fixed her hair and put on makeup, Ed was getting ready in the bedroom, and she heard someone pull into the driveway. She told him she would answer it as she adjusted her earrings.

She answered the door and found Daryl on the other side. "Now isn't a good time."

"Your parents are takin' you out?"

"No, not exactly."

"Who? Lori?"

"No, me." Ed stopped just behind her. "You must be Daryl. I've heard about you."

"From who?" Daryl challenged.

"Around." Ed smiled, almost darkly. "How can we help you?"

"We?" Daryl repeated.

Ed nudged Carol hard in the back, but Daryl didn't see it.

"Yes, we," Carol said. "Is there something you wanted or did you just want to stop by and say hi?"

Daryl watched as Ed slid his arm around Carol's waist and pulled her against him. "Yeah, just came to see how you was doin'."

"I'm great." She forced a smile. "Why wouldn't I be? Ed's home."

"Right." He stepped back, locking eyes with Ed. "Y'all got plans?"

"Just going out with the parents to discuss the wedding," Ed replied. "You should come. If you can't afford a tux, I can loan you one. And your brother. I'll even send them to you. Do you two still live in that beat up trailer on the outskirts of town?"

Carol tensed up. She had no idea Ed knew where Daryl and Merle lived. He was doing this on purpose. Those pictures were taken by someone he hired to keep an eye on her, and he knew they were spending a lot of time together, so he came home. He's telling Daryl that if he doesn't back off, he'll do more than sit idly by. He might even _**kill**_ Daryl and Merle too.

"Yes, we do."

"We should go." Carol took his hand. "We shouldn't keep our parents waiting."

"No, I want to talk to Mr. Dixon a while. Dinner can wait."

"Ed, let's go." She pulled on his hand, he jerked his hand back so rough it caused her to fall. She groaned in pain as she twisted her ankle.

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl lunged.

"Daryl, no!" Carol tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle, and she cried out. Ed let Daryl get one hit in before he punched him in the gut and made Daryl throw up on the lawn. "Daryl."

Ed pulled out his phone and called the cops, wiping the blood off his busted lip. "I'd like to report an assault."

Daryl rolled onto his back, gasping, trying to catch his breath, and Carol crawled over to him, but before she could get to him, Ed picked her up and carried her inside. She flinched at his touch, he gently set her down on the sofa and tenderly removed her heel, inspecting her ankle.

"Looks like you sprained it." He met her eyes. "Shame. We had a nice evening planned. You're such a klutz."

"You practically pushed me," she spat.

He smiled and squeezed her ankle, digging his nails into the tender flash, and she cried out. "It's such a shame that you fell, darling. Isn't it?"

"I fell," she whimpered. "I fell, I fell, I fell!"

He released her ankle and kissed her. "I'll wait for the police." He grabbed a few throw pillows and propped her ankle up. He kissed her forehead and went outside, and Carol squeezed her eyes shut as the sound of groaning came. She tried to stand up, but her ankle was too sensitive, and she fell off the couch, whimpering. She dragged herself to the door and found Daryl on the lawn, his nose bleeding, his cheek swollen and he was gripping his side.

She watched in horror as Ed broke Daryl's arm. "Ed, stop it!" She pushed herself up. "Stop it now!"

His crazed eyes fell on her. "Bitch, shut the fuck up and get inside!"

"No, you leave him alone!" She was shouting, and it was getting the neighbor's attention.

He walked over to her and pushed her inside, distantly hearing sirens. He hauled her up and carried her to the bedroom, dropping her on the bed, and he hovered over her, clamping a hand over her mouth. She tried to pry it off, but he was too strong. "If you ever do something like that again, it'll be your ass on the lawn."

"Get off of me!" she shouted against his hand.

"You think you're brave?" He lowered his face to hers. "You don't have a brave bone in your generously sized body. Stay in here or I'll bash his skull open. Don't try me, Carol." He released her and stormed out of the house as the cops parked in their driveway.

Carol limped out to the hall, Karma watched her from her hiding spot behind the couch, and Carol saw Daryl get arrested, and she cried. She fell to the floor and cried, not able to do anything. She heard what Ed was telling the police, saying Daryl barged in, hit her so hard she fell and sprained her ankle then attacked Ed. His reasoning was that Daryl was trying to get her and do something horrible with her. The officer was Rick, and Rick didn't believe a word of it, but he made it seem like he did. He'd seen Carol crying in the window, and he remembered how Carol and Daryl were during Thanksgiving.

He nodded. "Thanks, Mr. Peletier. I'll need a statement from Ms. Jenner."

"She's resting," he told Rick. "She's in shock."

"I still need a statement from her."

Ed glared. "Okay, but tomorrow. She needs to rest."

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He tipped his hat and walked away, glancing at the house once before getting in the car and driving off. He was taking Daryl to the hospital, not the police station.

Ed went inside and found Carol on the floor, staring numbly at nothing. "Carol?"

She lifted her eyes.

"Put some ice on your ankle. It's starting to swell." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll tell your parents weren't feeling well." He picked up the keys. "Oh, and don't try anything. I'd hate to see what might happen next." He left the house.

She swallowed and closed her eyes, praying. She hadn't prayed like that since was in high school, and she was afraid she would be praying like this more often.

––

Carol had her interview with Rick at the station, Ed insisted on driving, and Rick insisted on speaking to Carol alone. Carol told him what happened, and Rick told her about Daryl's condition. He didn't have any broken ribs or a broken nose, just a broken arm. He would be fine, and all the other injures were minor and would heal quick enough.

"Give this to him." She held out an envelope. "Please."

He nodded. "How's the ankle?"

"It's fine. I just tripped going to help Daryl. My heel broke."

"All right, sure."

Ed walked into the room. "I hate to break this up, but we have lunch plans. Are you done?"

"Yes, we are." Rick rose and shook Carol's hand, comfortingly squeezing it. "If you need me, I'm here."

She hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Tell Lori I said hello."

"I will." He released her. "Have a nice lunch."

Ed grasped Carol's wrist and led her out. Ed was very gently with people around, but the minute they were out of sight, he pushed her along, knowing her ankle was injured and it hurt it walk. And when they were in the car, he turned to her and glared.

"What did I do now?" She met his eyes.

"Are you screwing everyone in town?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're such a slut, and I knew you were." He started the car.

"I'm not! I've only ever been with you!" she stated.

"Either that or you haven't picked up anything. You're horrible in bed, and there isn't much to look at." He scoffed. "With all the weight you've packed on, none of it went to your breasts or your ass."

"If I am so fat and disgusting, why marry me at all?"

"Because, Carol Jenner, two beautiful people make an ugly child, and my mother adores you for some unknown reason."

"You're a pig."

"Just wait until we get home."

The next three days were hell. All Ed did was belittled her, abused her and threatened Daryl's life. When he wasn't talking, he was practically forcing himself on her. She became very numb to everything, and she hadn't heard from Rick or Daryl in days. She slowly drew within herself and stopped trying to contact anyone. Ed seemed pleased with her reaction, Carol hardly left bed anymore, and her parents and Lori and Lilly called nonstop, wanting to know if she was okay. Ed didn't pick up the phone but once a day. And on the fourth day, he was dressed in a suit and his bag was packed.

He kissed her forehead and left the house.

She didn't move, but as his car pulled out of the driveway, she cried. She cried from the depths of her soul and didn't stop. She didn't hear the car pull up, and she didn't hear her enter, but she felt her mother's arms around her.

"What is it?" Candace softly asked. "What happened?"

Carol cried into her shirt. "Mommy."

"Shh." She stroked her hair. "I'm here. Lori's here. It's going to be okay."

Lori set a cup of tea on the nightstand and sat beside Carol, rubbing her back. They didn't get anything out of her, Candace packed most of her clothes, and Carol didn't object as Candace led her out of the house and into her car and drove her to her parents' house.

"Carol?" Edwin set his glasses on the table as Lori led Carol toward her childhood room. "What the hell's going on?"

"It's nothing." Candace kissed him and carried a box of pictures to her room. "Could you make Carol something to eat?"

Lori and Candace set up the room as Carol bathed, Edwin made her something to eat like his wife had asked, and Carol wore baggy clothes that were comfortable and from Wal Mart, not some designer in Paris. She ate the grilled cheese and tomato soup her dad brought her, Candace thanked Lori for her help, and Lori told Carol call her before leaving to head into work.

"I brought you some tea." She sat on the bed. "It's lukewarm."

"Why are you doing this?" Carol asked softly.

"A young man called me, and he told me you needed me." She crossed her legs. "I may not be the biggest supporter of strangers calling my cell, but when you didn't answer, I knew he was right." She took the empty plate. "What happened?"

"Ed." Her eyes burned. "He's changed."

"Changed?" Candace frowned. "Changed how?"

"I really don't want to talk about this now." She wiped her eyes. "May I be alone? Please?"

"Of course." She took the bowl and kissed the top of Carol's head, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Carol curled up and sobbed herself into exhaustion, Candace went to the store to get the food Carol liked, and Edwin was still out of the loop. He went to check on Carol, finding her curled up asleep, her eyes puffy, and she looked like she was seventeen years old again.

He picked up the crocheted blanket her grandmother had made and covered her with it, moving a stray strand of red hair from her face and kissing her forehead. "Good night, baby girl." He closed the door behind him and noticed Candace had left her phone on the counter. He shook his head and let it be. He had bigger issues than his wife leaving the grocery list here.

– – –

Daryl sat outside on the stairs, staring at the homework the sub had left, and he sighed, closing the book with his one good hand. He hadn't heard from Carol since that asshole came back last week. He'd tried calling, texting, but she wasn't answer. He knew she wouldn't be at home, and he doubted Lori would tell him where she was. He would just have to wait.

"Daryl." Amy Horvath stood at the end of his driveway.

"What do—What brings you here?" Daryl set his book down and rose, meeting her halfway.

"I just wanted to check on you. You seemed so distant in class, even more so." She studied his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just sucks, 'cause I can't hunt."

"Hunting, right." She tucked hair shyly behind her ear and reached into her purse. "Andrea and I made some sandwiches for the football players to eat during their practice, and I thought I would bring you some of the leftovers. We have so many, and I don't want them to go to waste." She pulled out a lunch bag and held it out.

"This your daily act of charity?" he growled.

"Umm, no. N—no, of course not." She lowered her hand. "I—just thought you and Merle would like turkey and Swiss. I'm sorry."

_Daryl_! He could hear Carol reprimanding him. "You didn't. I—It's my damn arm. I'm just pissed at myself. This means a lot. I appreciate it."

She smiled. "It's no trouble."

"Could you take 'em inside? I only got one arm, and I got this book to carry."

"Sure."

They went inside, Amy unpacked the sandwiches, Daryl put his book in his bedroom, and Merle rose from a dead sleep. He staggered sleepily into the living room, yawning, stretching his limbs, and he cracked his neck. He groaned satisfied, and he looked over, seeing a young girl unpacking wrapped items that he could assume were sandwiches. Her cheeks were bright red, and he realized he only wore jeans.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." He grabbed a shirt off the couch and tugged it on. "You're Andrea's kid sis, ain't you?"

"Yes." She met his eyes. "But most people call me Amy."

"Sure." He took one of the sandwiches, unwrapped it and found meatballs and cheese inside. "You make this?"

"Yeah, it's a family recipe." She studied his face.

"Hmm, it's pretty good."

"What is?" Daryl returned to the living room.

"I gotta get to work." He grabbed his jacket and two more sandwiches. "Behave, Darylina. Thanks for these, lil' sugar."

Daryl glared after him, about to say something to Amy when he noticed the look on her face. Well, it looked like he didn't have to worry about Amy crushing on him anymore. She'd moved on to the older and ruder Dixon. He half-expected a cute little giggle to sound from her, but luckily, that didn't happen.

"Lemme give you a hand." He opened the fridge and grasped a handful.

"Please, let me." She snapped out of her trace and helped him put the sandwiches away. "That's all of them."

"Thank you, Amy."

She smiled. "Don't worry about it. I had extra, and T couldn't fit anymore into his van."

He nodded. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes. I wanted to know if you knew where Carol was. I haven't seen her in so long. I'm worried." She was genuine. He'd seen a lot of bullshit to know the difference. "Are you two really...you know? I'm not judging, and I'm not trying to pry, but if you two are...then do you know how she is?"

"I don't, and we're not."

"Okay, I guess it's not my place to know. I was just concerned." She folded the bag up then paused and met his eyes. "If you two were you know, that would be so cool. You two are so cute together, and if you had a baby, that baby would be so freaking precious."

He flushed and dropped his head, his bangs covering his reddening cheeks. "I doubt that."

"I don't, but that's just my opinion." She stuffed the bag into her purse. "Here. Give this to Carol if you see her." She held out a card. "In case she's sick. Since I don't know her very well a card is a good idea. If you can give this to her, I'd really appreciate it."

"Can't you?"

"Dale's taking me out of town to look at an internship in Florida. My dad's family out there, so I figure if it's good, I can stay with them. Anyway, I won't be back for a while, so I'm trusting you." She thrust it into his hands. "Don't let me down, okay?"

"Try not to," he mumbled, taking the care.

"Thanks." She smiled warmly. "Have a good day, and enjoy those." She turned and left.

"Hey, thanks," he called after her.

"No problem!" She waved and disappeared down the street.

He looked at the bubbly handwriting on the pink card and tapped it against his hand. Carol had gotten a week off out of school, and it was about time he contacted her. He knew where she was, sort of. He just had to get there.

––

"I just feel...violated," Carol said softly, exhaling slowly. "I have bruises all over my thighs, and I dream about it every night. I can't escape it. It keeps playing over and over in my head, all of the things he said and did, and I can't..." Her voice broke and she stopped. Talking about it aloud made it worse, especially when no one was around to hear her or comfort her. She didn't want anyone to know. It sounded very like rape, and in a way it was, but in another way it wasn't. Maybe it was her mind trying to protect her from the truth. Who the hell knows?

"You can't just barge in here!"

"Edwin, stop it."

"No, she needs to rest, not be bothered by this."

"Trust me, Edwin."

Carol sat up, half-expecting some therapist to walk into the room. She dried her eyes as the door open, and she stared at who entered. Her parents were down the hall, and her mom simply smiled reassuringly at her as he shut the door.

"D—"

He grasped her cheeks and kissed her carefully, slowly, not wanting scare her. He pulled back, searching her confused blue eyes, and she slowly smiled, leaning up to kiss him. He savored the taste of her lips, the feel of her mouth on his, for a moment longer then broke the kiss and kissed her forehead.

"What are you doing here?" She relished in the feel of his warm hands on her cheeks.

"Visitin' _my_ girl," he replied softly.

"Entirely _your_ girl."

He kicked off his work boots and climbed into bed with her, brushing her hair from her neck, and he nuzzled his face into her soft skin. He wrapped his arms around her, she snuggled against him, feeling his chest against her back and feeling safe for the time in days. His earthy scent surrounded her, and she closed her eyes, letting the rest of the world fade away, but never letting the feel of his arms around her waist fall away.


	11. Hidden In Plain Sight

"We have to leave sometime," she told him, gazing over at him.

"Sometime ain't now."

She pushed herself up. "They seem so angry." She set her feet on the ground. "When you're wet...they look so...raw."

"I never noticed." He dried his hair with the towel. "I thought you were keepin' your eyes closed."

"Oh, I am." She could hear the smile in her voice. "Well, I was."

"Perv."

"I looked once by accident, and when I came out, you stared at me. I had to throw a pillow at you and then toss a blanket over you. So, don't "perv" me."

"Ain't like I haven't seen 'em before."

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed.

"No, I haven't! I meant from someone else!" He dodge the series of items she threw at him. "Carol, stop!"

"You're such an ass sometimes."

"Yeah, well, I'm a better ass than most." He leaned over and kissed her. "And you're right. We gotta leave."

"Let me change, and we can go somewhere."

"Nah, that's not what I meant." He grasped her hands. "It's gettin' warmer."

"Yes, it is." She eyed him. "That tends to happen toward springtime."

"'Bout spring break, I was thinkin' you and me could go to my granddaddy's cabin, spend some time there."

"What?" She laughed, disbelieving, her heart pounding.

"Spring break is comin' up, and you quit at the high school, so you and me can go up there for a week. We said we was gonna do it," he reminded her.

After Ed left town, Carol couldn't do anything but process that Ed had done what he'd done, and she'd quit her job, because she couldn't be around all of that with that in her head. Daryl came to see her after school everyday, and they spent hours together, talking, fooling around, even just reading together. She enjoyed the simplicity of being in the same room with him, silently sitting near him.

It was nearing April now, and Ed hadn't contacted her or tried to contact her, and Melissa had sent her various e-mails asking about their relationship and if everything was okay. Carol canceled everything the first of the year, Melissa hadn't tried to contact her since, and Carol was glad she was respecting her space. She needed to be on her own...or shacking up with her parents until she got a new place somewhere. She'd been looking, but with her working at the CDC from time to time, she forgot about the apartments. She was so like her mother. Daryl playfully called her Candace, and she not-so-playfully hit him with a pillow repeatedly.

As playful as they were, they had some issues after Ed. Daryl was worried any contact like that would fright her, and he'd stopped himself several times from going too far. She was more than ready, and she knew he was too, but they both had an idea of how it should be, and in her childhood bed with her parents possibly down the hall was no how they wanted it to be. Maybe going to his cabin would be a good idea. They needed space away from everyone, and maybe some time outside would be good for her.

"Okay."

"Okay?" He searched her eyes.

"Let's do it." She smiled. "Let's go."

He smiled widely, fully and happily, and she laughed. He kissed her. "I love you."

Her smile widened, if possible. "I love you." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "God, I love you."

––

The trek to the cabin was long, Carol had packed for both of them since Daryl didn't have many clothes, and he didn't know she'd bought him new clothes for the trip, and she'd also packed lunch. She should've made dinner. This cabin was a perfect place to kill someone. It was far away, and she had no idea how Daryl found it.

The cabin itself was lovely, small but perfect. She was surprised by it really. It probably cost quite a bit of money, especially with furnishings and expensive-looking art. If it weren't the animal head mounted on the walls, she would be worried they just committed a crime.

"How'd your granddaddy get this place?" She handed him a cup of tea and joined him by the fire.

"He had well off," Daryl admitted. "He had it built for his wife, and he left it to my dad when he died. My dad lost it, sold it for money to get more booze, and Merle got it back. He was a good gambler."

"Was?" She met his eyes.

"Before the drugs." He nodded. "Merle was good at a lotta things then he got into drinkin' and drugs and shit."

"Well, I'm glad he didn't lose this place. It's a part of your history." She smiled. "It's lovely, very calm and quiet."

"I'm glad you like it. I was nervous, thought you might miss the sound of the city."

"Not at all," she assured him. "I can't stand all of that noise. I like the silent."

"Me too."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, let's go for a walk."

"Sounds good."

They fell asleep in front of the fire, Daryl woke near midnight to the fire cracking, and he found Carol passed out in his lap. He gently scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, knocking her phone accidentally out of her pocket. He covered her up and grabbed her phone, unlocking it by mistake. He noticed a lot of texts from the man number. He recognized this number. It was Ed's number.

He only found one reply from her: **Leave me alone.**

He read over Ed's texts, finding over a hundred and his stomach turned. He turned off her phone and set it in the dresser drawer, letting it get lost among all of the old duty items inside. He chewed his bottom lip once he was in bed. He wasn't tired anymore. He wanted to know why Carol had hid this from him, and he could think back to every single text Ed sent when they were together. She would be laughing or smiling at him and her phone would chime, and the look that crossed her faced when she read the text always made him worry. He assumed it was work or her parents or even Ed's mom. He never thought it was Ed.

He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. Why would Ed be this persistent? Carol made it clear, so why? What does he want now? Can't he just let her go? Daryl knew Ed's type, and he knew Ed moved from woman to woman very like Merle, so why was he trying to cling to Carol? It unnerved him. He knew how Carol felt about him, and she loathed Ed, so he knew she wouldn't go back to him. Ed had to know that too, so what does he have to gain by repeatedly texting her?

He ran a hand down his face and shook his head. He slid off the bed and dug out the phone, leaving the room. He headed up to the roof and he read over the messages, wanting to know what Ed was planning. He was a plotting something, and Daryl wanted to know what. He had to, because if Ed had any intentions of hurting Carol like he did, Daryl would kill him.

Scrolling through the messages, Daryl learned a lot about Ed and who he was when he wanted something he couldn't have.

_I'm sorry for what happened. I was horrid, and there's nothing I can say or do to earn your forgiveness..._

_It's all these hours and not seeing you. It's been so difficult. So difficult... _

_Was it always like this? Without you here...there...it's all so empty, so colorless. The hours drag by now, and all because I have no one waiting for me anymore. It's so strange. I keep waiting for your call. I miss the sound of your voice._

_Do you remember our trip during spring break sophomore year of college? Heh, you were so clumsy. I told you going camping was a bad idea, but you were so insistent. You were so adorable too, telling me that we should try it once before we're too hold to mount a tent. Now, if I said we should try something before we're too old, you'd get all huffy and just blush. You had the cutest blush... _

_I remember that night. We were stargazing—well, you were. I was fall asleep like some asshole. I should've stayed awake...been there with you. God, why am I so fucking stupid? Feel free to go into detail, maybe with that I can fix myself. _

_...are you all right? I just want to know you're taken care of. I was so rough, and you're so small. You're tiny, like a bird. Now, I suppose, you're like a broken bird... I wish you were just my bird, not broken, not...gone._

_So, Mom wants to have a dinner, just the three of us. She's really excited about it, and if you won't come for me, come for her. She loves you like a daughter, and if...we aren't going to get married, at least stay friends with her. She love you dearly. You're so easy to love, though. Beautiful, intelligent, a little intimidating, but one-of-a-kind nonetheless. _

_...How many days has it been? They seem to blur together, and my coworkers tell me it's Friday. Is that true? Has it been...that long? Without that date of seeing you, everything is so bleak. I need to see you, Carol. Baby, please, just...talk to me. I need to talk to you, to explain._

_...It's been two months. Two whole months. Damn. I can't think straight anymore. I can barely focus on work. I've given so many of my duties to my employees. It's all so meaningless with you. We had such plans. We were going to get married, buy that farm where you could grow fruit and veggies and raise two beautiful little girls and let me handle our hell-raising son. It was so silly, but you wanted it. That was the goal, and it's gone now._

_...I'm so lost, Carol. I need you, goddamn it! I need to see you and touch you and hear your soft voice. Please, just one word. One word is all I ask._

_...Damn bitch. You can't do anything? I asked for one damn thing, and you can't reply to my request? After all I've done for you? All I've given up? You're so goddamn selfish. And you're making not only me suffer from this, but my mother? What the fuck did she do to you? She adores you, and you have her worried out of her mind about you! What the hell, Carol? You can be pissed at me, but don't take it out on her. She'd old and needy and fragile. Just like you, isn't that why you're so close? How can you call yourself human? She's done nothing but shower you in love and gifts and this is how you repay her? I can't believe you would be so cold._

_...Fucking reply!_

_...Do you think I don't know? Do you think I don't? I do. I really do. I won't let you know what I know, because you'll try to cover it up, but I know. I know EVERYTHING. You can't hide anything from me. Reply!_

_...You bitch._

_...I'm sorry. I've been drinking, obviously, and you don't deserve any of those words. I'm a jackass. No, I'm a bastard and a horrible person, I know that. I'm working with someone, trying to work out my angry and it's working. I've managed to get back on track, and I'm happier now. I still miss you. I look at that picture of us at the lake all the time. You were so beautiful, all shy, covering in up my t-shirt. I never did get your lipstick off that shirt. Whatever was in it certainly is questionable. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm very sorry for everything I've ever done to you or said to you. All lies, as you know. I'm an ass, overly and unnecessarily jealous, but look at you. It was so hard to get you, and I couldn't risk losing you. You're my everything..._

_...Four months and nothing? I have to respect that, but...I'm not giving up. You're the reason I'm doing everything I'm doing, and once everything's said and done, once the ink has dried, I'm coming to get you. If you'll have me or not, I'll understand. I've always understood you, Clair De Lune. You've hated me calling you that. I guess it's a mother-daughter thing, and I'll stop. I just love seeing your face scrunch up. Heh, I hope your kids get that look. It's too much to ask or even hope that they'll be our kids. I'm guess I'm a dreamer, hoping against hoping. You're a good woman, too good for me, and I understand that now. I'll stop blowing up your phone with my intrusive texts. I love you, Carol, and I'm coming home in May. If you want to see me, I'll be there. I'll always be there._

Daryl frowned. He spends her a text every single day, which is an an improvement from the last twenty he sent bore that text. He'd skimmed over most of them, but it was unsettling. Ed was too damn wordy, and it worried that Carol might fall for him. Four months and all of these apologizes is a lot to take in, to reconsider. He wasn't sure confident now. If Carol wanted him back, wanted Ed back, would she even tell him or break it to him softly like he was wounded? Her wounded bird? What the hell is that? Carol's a bird? Cheesy asshole.

"How beautiful."

He flinched as Carol crawled out of the window and moved beside him. She tugged the blanket she'd brought out with her tighter around her. He slid her phone nonchalantly into his pocket, looking up in surprise to find the sun rising. "Guess so." How did she find him? Why was she even up? How is the sun rising? What the hell? He hadn't read that many texts. Had he?

She smiled and closed the space between them. "You're freezing." She shared the blanket with him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You weren't in bed," she said as if reading his mind. "I was worried then I saw the window."

"I see." He grasped her hands. "You're colder than I am."

She smiled. "I know a way we can change that."

He tensed, his cheeks flushing. Part of the reason he'd brought her up here was so they could have time together alone. With the past four months being so rough, it seemed right to wait. They'd barely been up here one day, and Carol wanted to break in the bed. He thought he would have a little more time.

"Kidding." She laughed softly at his expression. "I'll make breakfast once the sun's up, okay?"

"All right."

They enjoyed the sunrise, Carol nearly fell back asleep it was so warm and safe, and Daryl worried about getting her phone back into her pocket. And if she changed, it would be even harder. She always empties her pockets before she changes. He was suppose to not watch her change, but the chances of him not looking were like the chances of Merle not smoking a joint that's behind him.

"I need coffee." She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What about you?"

"Sure."

They went inside, Carol prepared a pot of coffee, and Daryl debated on telling her he had her phone, because it fell out of her pocket or telling her all of it. He bobbed his leg nervously, seeing the smile on her face as she began to make breakfast. He didn't want to be the one to make that smile vanish and a frown appear. He wanted her to trust him, and to trust him, he needed to tell her the truth.

"Carol, I—"

Her phone went off, he tensed up, and she reached into her purse and pulled it out. He stared as she answer the same phone he currently had in his pocket. What the hell? Was he losing his mind or was she a ninja? Or does she have two phones? Why does she have two phones?

"Mom, I told you I'm okay." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm spending the entire week here. Because I need time away from Lori and Rick and you both. I love you guys, but I need some space. And just last week you told me to find a place. You gave me a newspaper on a plate for breakfast!" She paused. "Yes, I'll help him when I get back. Okay. I love you too. Bye." She hung up and looked through her phone. "I guess "don't call me" means call every second. Damn, she really has called since we left." She pursed her lips and shut her phone off. "Sorry. No more phones."

"Why do you got two phones?" he asked, pulling the other out of his pocket and holding it out. "It fell outta your pocket last night."

She stared at the phone like it was a foreign object.

"Carol?"

"Umm, that's...my old phone." She walked over to the table and took the phone, closing her hands around it like she could make it disappear. "This is the phone that Ed gave me."

"You mind explainin'?"

She sat down. "I bought a new phone a few days ago." She tucked hair behind her ear and dropped her hands to her lap. "Ed only has this number since I don't live in his house anymore."

He nodded, telling her to go on.

"He kept texting me, so I had to get a new phone to get him to leave me alone. He keeps trying to contact me, and I've only replied once, because I want nothing to do with him. His words are sweet sometimes, but he's obviously intoxicated." She averted her eyes. "But I guess you know that."

"I...was just—"

"Curious?" She met his eyes. "I get it. I really do, but when it comes to Ed, I need you to let me handle him. Please, Daryl, don't argue with me on this. Let me handle Ed."

"Fine, but only if I'm around when you do. Only offer."

She smirked. "Fine. Can I go make eggs without you going through my phone?"

"Possibly."

She stood up and held it out. "Here. Delete the texts, and I'll block Ed's number."

He frowned. "You're givin' me your phone?"

"I need some way to contact you. If I get lost out there and I can't scream, I'll text. Or threw my phone into the air and pray you see the light."

"You ain't gonna get lost." He took the phone. "I got my eyes on you."

"Okay, so does that mean we can go hiking tomorrow?" She sounded so hopeful.

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because I didn't bring any pants. I don't have any at my parents' house, and my boots have heels, so I'm very unprepared."

"All right. I'll look around and see if I can find any pants. Bound to be somethin' here."

She prepared breakfast, Daryl deleted the texts before he searched the cabin for pants that would fit her, but he came up empty-handed. He looked through the clothes she'd packed, and only one pair of shoes were acceptable. He had a long day ahead of him, and hopefully Carol wouldn't mind him breaking down a pair of shoes. She had so many, he doubted she'd mind. It was a good thing he wasn't going to ask for permission. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.


	12. Like Real People Do

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

––

Merle walked through the woods near sunset, the air was cool from the storm that was moving in, and he could hear the birds scurrying to shelter. It was peaceful. With Daryl and Carol "spending time together", he had a lot of time to himself. He had so much to go over, especially since Daryl was going to college next year. Daryl would go to college, and Merle had to clean himself up. He had to get a steady job, stop all the wandering and the drugs. He needed to do something with his life. After all the shit that happened with their father, Merle couldn't be that person anymore.

A sound disrupted his walk, and he listened.

"Please, stop it," a soft voice whimpered.

"Shh, everything's gonna be all right."

He knew that voice, both of those voices. He hurried as the soft voice that was obviously a girl cried out in pain, and he began to run. That was Amy, and that son of a bitch was Shane. There was no fucking way Merle would sit back and let something happen to her. He wouldn't be the hero, but he sure as hell wouldn't let what that prick was planning happen.

He found Shane and Amy in a small clearing, Amy was trapped between Shane and the tree, crying, her cheek bruised, her blouse torn, and Shane was hovering over her possessively. "Well well well."

"There ain't nothin' for you here," Shane told him.

"Really?" His eyes moved to Amy.

"Amy."

"N—nothing's going on," she whispered. "I—I was scared and got lost. Shane was just helping me find my way back. I should get back. Andrea's going to be worried. I promised her I'd be back hours ago."

"I'll take you back." Shane grasped her hand.

"No." She jerked back. "I can find my way back on my own." She walked away, passing Merle.

"She's gonna get lost," Shane sighed. "Oh, well. I'll tell Andrea you let her leave alone."

"Better alone than with you. People tend to get lost with you," Merle growled.

"She's my girlfriend," Shane informed him. "She got scared and ran away. Damn owls, you know? They scare the shit outta her. Hell if I know why."

"Get your lyin' ass home," Merle hissed. "And if I catch you in these woods with a girl alone again, I'll kick your teeth in."

"I'd like to see you try," Shane challenged.

Merle glared as Shane walked away, and he shook his head and headed back as thunder sounded. He found Amy on the ground halfway back to the trailer. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked up at him, waving her hand once before letting fall on her knee.

"You lost?"

"No, I was waiting for you." She climbed to her feet. "Thank you."

"What happened? Was he gonna—?"

"No, nothing like that." She crossed her arms. "Tonight was supposed to be "the" night, but I chickened out and...ran away."

He held back a laugh. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to be with him." She met his eyes. "Andrea doesn't even know we're dating, and I don't want to sneak around to be with him. It used to be so special, but now it's like a job, and I quit."

He laughed.

"I just wanted to thank you for stepping in. Most people wouldn't have."

"Ain't nothin'."

"It is something." She met his eyes. "Thank you, Merle."

He shook his head. "Go home, kid."

"I'm not a kid!" she said softly.

"Could've fooled me."

"Today's my eighteenth birthday," she informed him. "That's why Shane... I'm not a kid."

"Fine, go home, Amy."

"I will, just as soon as you help me out of these woods. I'm kinda lost." Her cheeks were pink.

"Hell." What else could happen?

Just then the sky opened our and rain poured down on them. It was heavy rain too. Amy squealed at the rain soaking through her clothes so quickly, making her skin go ice cold. Merle shook his head. Now he had no choice. The rain made it hard to see, but he knew the way back by heart. He couldn't get her away from Shane just to leave her wet and alone in the woods. She wind up either raped or raped and murdered. That would get him kill by Andrea, no doubt Shane told the whole town Merle assaulted him or some bullshit like that.

"C'mon, lil' sugar." He started for the trailer. "You can find your way back to your car from my place, right?"

"Uh-huh." She pushed hair out of her face. "If I can—Whoa!"

"What?" He looked back.

"Sorry, I slipped in mud." She caught up to him. "I'll be fine from your place on."

"Let's hope so."

They trudged their way back to the Merle's trailer, the rain was worse and thunder and lightening joined in. It was bad, knocked out the lights, but Merle was used to not having lights. He had plenty of flashlights and lanterns. However with the power out and the storm only getting worse, Amy didn't want to drive in that weather, and she'd lost her car keys outside when they were coming back. He was stuck with her. Overnight. Alone. Great, where's Daryl when he needed him? Keep this girl busy and silent.

"Got some clean clothes, doubt they'll fit, but here." He held out a pair of clothes in one hand and wiped water off his neck with a towel with his free hand.

"Would it be too much trouble if I used your shower?" she stammered, shaking.

"If it'll warm you up, go ahead." He gestured to it with his free hand.

"Thank you!" She took the clothes and hurried into the bathroom.

He checked the fridge and was about to grab a beer, but decided against it and grabbed a bottle of water. They had food for tonight, so he wasn't worried. The girl probably didn't eat that much. He drank the water with a frown. Damn, of all nights.

Amy wrung out her clothes in the shower, trying to get most of the water out. She had issues with her jeans, so they stayed mostly wet. She nearly sighed blissfully at the hot water that shot out of the shower head. She didn't even care about the pressure. It felt so good.

She got rid of the ice that was slowly soaking into her bones, and she stayed in for as long as possible. Merle would probably want a shower, so she couldn't use all the hot water. She stepped out and wrapped the towel from the sink around her. She looked at the clothes Merle had brought her. They were Daryl's, his shirt and shorts, but they were brand new, with that new scent and stickers attached. She felt a little weird about going commando in Daryl's new clothes, but hopefully she could just buy a new pair and give them back.

She dressed and hung her clothes over the shower rod and stepped out, nearly shuddering at the cool air. She didn't want to sit on a leather sofa and get more cold, so she stood up.

"Here." Merle tossed a blanket at her.

"Thanks." She wrapped herself in it and sat down on the couch, the room dimly lit with lanterns. Merle was doing something in the kitchen, and she was trying to think of something to say that would start a conversation. She had no idea what to say. Talking to Daryl was hard, talking to Merle would be like pulling teeth. She was a talkative person, but she was too cold for her brain to think of something to say.

"This oughta warm you up." He was in front of her, holding out a steaming mug.

"Oh, thank you." She curled her fingers around it, it was so hot, and it worked through the numbness on her fingers. "Is this coffee?"

"Don't got nothin' else. Added some milk and sugar to it, better than letting the milk go bad."

"It's perfect. I love coffee with milk." She smiled and took a sip, burning her tongue. "So, what were you doing in the woods?" She set the cup on the table in front of her.

"Just walkin'."

"Were you thinking about something?" She searched his face. "I go in the woods to think. Andrea's so busy with her work, and Dale always wants me to "talk about it", but I'd rather just deal with it on my own, you know?"

"I do," he mumbled.

She tugged the blanket tighter around her, bringing her icy toes in to warm them with her hand. "Where's Daryl?"

"Out."

"It's none of my business." She blushed, embarrassed. "I—I'm sorry."

"He's out with Carol."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"I knew it! That's so awesome. They're so cute together." She rubbed her arms, not able to get warm. "So—"

"Why in the hell were you spendin' your birthday with Shane?" he asked, hoping she would go on and on and stop asking him questions.

She dropped her eyes.

"I told you what I was doin', it's only fair."

She sighed. "Andrea and Dale threw me a big birthday party."

"But?" he pressed.

"But neither Dale nor Andrea were there. It was me and a bunch of people from Andrea's work and two of my best friends. Everyone started drinking, and nobody even knew the party was for my birthday. They thought it was for Andrea's promotion, and all of the gifts they brought were for her." She was trying not to cry. She wasn't a kid anymore. She was a woman, she needed to act like it. "I got so tired of people congratulating my sister to me. I texted Shane and left with him and my real friends. They were so drunk by then, we took them home and went out to the woods to just...hang out."

He nodded her on.

"I just wanted to be alone with someone who cared about me and talk for a while, but he just kept pushing." She quickly wiped away the tears that fell. "I kept telling him to stop, but he kept pushing, and eventually he just got pissed and yelled at me. That's when I got out of the car and ran. I didn't expect him to follow me." She snuffled. "Then you found us."

"Why in the hell did Andrea let you alone with all of those strangers?" he asked.

"Andrea never really has time for my birthdays. I call her every year, so excited, and she swears she'll come and see me, but...she never makes it passed the phone call." She dropped her head to her knees that she hugged to her chest tightly. "And Dale wanted to make it, but he got caught up in paperwork. But he always makes back it for my birthday, before midnight. He'll have my favorite cupcakes and vanilla bean ice cream and weird lumpy candles, it's great. It's our tradition."

"Til this year."

"Until this year." She wiped the tears. "I'm too old for that anyway."

"Too old? You're still a kid."

"No, I'm not!"

He laughed. "You're too easy to fluster, lil' sugar."

She blushed. "No, I'm not," she said softer, picking up the coffee cup and taking a drink.

"Uh-huh, sure." He rose and went over to the kitchen, lighting a cigarette.

She pursed her lips and stood up, walking over to him. "Could I try one?"

"Excuse me?" His eyebrow rose.

"Could I try one? Andrea would never let me, and I'm so sick of her treating me like I'm five. I can reimburse you. I just... I've never smoked before." She bit her lower lip nervously as he studied her face.

He held his cigarette out to her, and she took it. "First time smokin', you're gonna wanna put it to your lips, not passed your teeth."

She set the cigarette on her lips like he told her, feeling the paper stick to her lips, so she took it out and licked her lips then put the cigarette to her lips. When she drew in a breath, she choked and Merle laughed. She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed as Merle took the cigarette and took a long drag from it.

"When you put it up to your lips, suck air into your mouth and hold the smoke there for more or less than a second, then inhale normally, through your mouth." He held the cigarette out. "Or are you done?"

She glared and took the cigarette, taking his advice as well. It wasn't so bad the second time. They shared that cigarette, she felt a little better about how the day turned out, and she'd even got a small smile out of Merle. But if Andrea were to walk in, she would blow his head off with a shotgun and drag her out of there by her hair.

"You like smokin'?" Merle asked.

"It's not so bad. I doubt I'll take it up, but I'm okay with that." She smiled and drank the last of her coffee.

"So, how'd you want to celebrate your birthday?" He leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

"Honestly?"

"Lie to me, if it makes you feel better." He drank from his cup.

"I wanted Maggie and Sasha to come over and I wanted Andrea to be there—no Dale, just the girls. We could've played _Monopoly_ or _Twister_ or hell, we could've played _Sorry_." She splayed her hands on the counter. "But I would've liked to play Hand and Foot—it's a card game. My parents used to play it all the time. And I wanted—Uh, never mind." She blushed even more.

"Go on, lil' sugar, wanted what?"

Her face got really red. "Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"I wanted to learn about...sex." She crossed her arms, and now Merle looked uncomfortable. "I'm probably the only virgin at my school, and Andrea never talked to me about sex. I've only heard about it from jerks like Shane and my friends."

"Ask Andrea 'bout that."

"Tsk, asking her about sex is like asking me to do calculus without a calculator."

There was a wave of silence, she zoned out while staring at her glass, and Merle remembered something. He pushed off the counter, she sighed and blinked, and he opened the drawer in front of him. He dug out a pack of cards and set them on the counter by Amy's cup.

"So, how do you do it?" he asked.

"Huh?" She met his eyes.

He tapped the deck of cards. "How'd you play?"

She smiled and took the cards. They sat down on the floor on either side of the coffee table in the living room, Amy shuffled the cards as Merle got them something to drink, and she told him how to play. He already knew, but it was the first time she'd been really happy since he'd found her in the woods. And what else were they going to do? The power was out, so they couldn't watch TV, and he sure as hell wasn't going to talk until she fell asleep.

He hadn't expected to get into this game as much as he did, but it was fun. Amy was better at it than he expected her to, and she'd even beaten him a few times. He tried not to cuss so much, but damn, she was always one step ahead of him. She couldn't stop giggling, and he thought it was annoying, but he got it now. She was laughing at him, not at her winning. He was being an ass, but mostly at the cards. How in the hell can she get so damn lucky?

"I'm shufflin'," he told her when she began to gather the cards. "I know you're cheatin'."

"Darn, now I won't be able to slip cards into my shirt." She smiled and stretched her legs out. "Fine, be my guest."

"Is your phone with you?" Merle asked.

"No, I left it in my car by accident. Why?"

"Andrea must be worried 'bout you."

"I doubt it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Andrea's a workaholic, and once she's there, no one else exists. She probably forgot it was my birthday until Dale called to ask about where the party was going to be." She shrugged. "I'm used to being the last thing on Andrea's mind. She's not our mom, but she tries to be. I'm glad she doesn't have kids. Phew, they'd be so depressed."

"Now that I doubt."

"Her kids? Yeah, they'd probably be independent."

"No, 'bout you bein' the last thing on her mind."

"You don't know my sister."

"No, but I know what it's like to be a sibling."

She sniffed. "Hurry up with that shuffling."

He pursed his lips, but didn't say any more. They played another game, but Amy's heart wasn't it in. He noticed how shiny her eyes were, and he felt like an ass for bringing up Andrea. He didn't like to see her like this, it reminded him of how Daryl looked before, and that reminded him of _**before.**_ He had to keep that memory buried. No one knew, and no one would ever know.

She exhaled. "I guess my luck's run out." She set the cards down. "I'm tired of playing. What about you?"

"Yeah." He tossed his cards on the table.

She knocked her knees together. "Do you have a battery-operated radio or anything?"

"No. I don't listen to music."

"What? How can you not?" She gazed at him curiously. "Music is one of the best things in the world! How can you not have a radio?"

"'Cause I enjoy the other best thing in the world."

"Oh."

A beat.

"Do you want me to show you?" Merle asked.

She met his eyes. "What?"

"Do you want me to show you?"

Her heart began to pick up its pace at what he was asking, and she felt very dizzy. She didn't have any intention of this happening. She just told him, because he asked. Was he serious? She knew he was by the look in his soft gray-blue eyes. She swallowed hard and stood up, pushing hair back from her facing and silently, nervously laughing in her mind.

_**I have a thought, dear, however scary.**_

_**About that night, the bugs and the dirt**_

_**Why were you digging? What did you bury?**_

_**Before those hands pulled me from the earth?**_

She walked over to him and lowered herself down onto his lap, searching his eyes. She wanted to make sure he was genuine. She had to.

_**I will not ask you where you came from, I will not ask you and neither should you.**_

_**Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips. We should just kiss like real people do.**_

Her heart began to race as she leaned over so that her lips touched his. His mouth was softer than it looked, his lips weren't cracked like they appeared, and he tasted like coffee and tobacco. She felt so clumsy compared to him. He was such a good kisser, and she felt a little embarrassed when she moaned. It was the first time she'd ever had moan from a kiss.

_**I knew that look dear, eyes always seeking**_

_**Was there in someone that dug long ago, **_

_**So I will not ask you why you were creeping, **_

_**In some sad way I already know.**_

He slid his hands up and around to her back, bringing her closer, and she grasped the curls at the back of his neck, causing him to groan. Her skin was so soft, and she smelled of raspberries and tasted like honey. He was more aroused by this than he thought he would be.

They pulled apart, her breathing was loud and rough, and her eyes were closed. He reminded himself this was her first time, and he'd have to control himself. He would also need to take her to the bedroom. Losing your virginity on a dingy floor was not idealistic. Well, he hoped not. If it was, she had some issues.

She squealed when he picked up her, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face went to his shoulder. He carried her into his bedroom and gently set her on the bed underneath him. He kissed her, sliding his hand down to her exposed legs and grasping her thigh.

_**So I will not ask you where you came from, I would not ask and neither would you.**_

_**Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips. We should just kiss like real people do.**_

She removed her shirt, and since her clothes were wet, she had no bra on underneath. Her breasts were ample, and he seized her nipple in between his teeth, and she squirmed underneath him, her hands grasping his shirt as her moans grew louder and louder. She'd never felt anything like this in her entire life, her body never _did_ anything it was doing now before, and she loved it. She loved the way his tongue stroked her breast, his lips sucking and tugging gently on her nipple.

He released her breast and sat up, pulling his shirt off. He had to take it slow. He kept telling himself that, but he wanted nothing more than to dive into her and make her pant and whine for him. He kissed her again, and he usually wasn't one for kissing, but he liked how her lips felt. He nibbled on her bottom lip, a small moan escaped her throat, and he sealed her mouth with his, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

She curled her fingers into his hair, shifting her body to be closer to his, and she felt his erection on her thigh. She'd felt Shane's against her many times, but it wasn't like Merle's. Her body didn't react this way to Shane's, and she was happy about that. She banished thoughts of Shane from her mind and slid her hand down to his belt.

"Slow down, lil' sugar," he breathed against her mouth.

She swallowed and nodded.

He kissed her, slipping his hand down, cupping her, and she moaned, sucking a breath in through her teeth. He loved that sound, and damn was she wet. He'd forgotten how wet virgins get. Damn, he wanted her now, and the sound she made next made him groan.

"Please," she moaned.

He kissed her hard and removed the shorts she wore then removed his own jeans and boxers. He grabbed a condom from the drawer beside his bed, and he felt her eyes on him as he slipped it on. He could feel her tense now, but her eyes showed she was ready. Her body was definitely ready. He smoothed hair back from her face and kissed her.

He pushed into her, she let out a half-moan, half-whimper, and he clenched his jaw. She was so tight, tighter than the women he was used to being with, and he wanted this to be good for her. He slowly began to ease out then back in, letting her adjust, and when her blue eyes met his, they moved together.

_**I could not ask you where you came from, I could not ask and neither could you.**_

_**Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips. We could just kiss like real people do. **_

The soft patter of the rain against the top of the trailer was like a lullaby, Amy was curled up in his arms, and Merle was out cold. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. This was the best birthday she'd had since her parents died, even if she could never tell anyone about it. She didn't care what people thought about Merle, but no matter who she told, it would find a way to Andrea, and that would be the end of Merle.

––

Merle woke up alone, but the smell of food cooking gave him an indication of where Amy was. He got dressed and found her setting a plate on the counter and placing eggs on the plate in her hand. He watched her, noticing a something different about her and appreciated the way her dress revealed the back of her thighs. He heard music playing. It was from her phone, it was some techno shit. It wasn't so bad, and she was dancing to it. Hmm, she had a nice ass. She probably went to the store and got stuff to make breakfast. He spotted a pack of cigarettes on the counter and smirked.

"Mornin'," he called to her.

She spun around and smiled. "Morning." She set the plate down. "I made breakfast. I figured you would be hungry, and I got you a pack of cigarettes."

"You didn't have to." He picked up a plate and fork.

"I wanted to." She turned the stove off and held out a bottle of orange juice, he took it and sat down on the couch. She got her plate and drink and sat beside him, eating a bit of eggs, wondering what to say. Should she even talk right now? Was this a silent moment? They didn't really talk last night, Merle just asked her how she was, so...do they talk now? "I'm—"

The front door burst open, Amy jumped and Merle bit into the bacon as Andrea stormed into the trailer. She looked at him first then Amy and she grabbed Amy up by her arm and pulled out a gun.

"Andrea!"

"What did you do to her?" Andrea demanded.

He chuckled.

"Andrea, stop it now!" Amy jerked her arm free. "You're being crazy! And where did you get a gun?"

"What did you do to her?" Andrea glared down at him.

"If you're gonna shoot me, shoot me." He calmly ate his breakfast.

"Andrea, just stop! You don't even know what happened!"

"Shane told me. You left the party with him and you ran into Merle in the woods. He saw you run off, and Merle didn't let him follow."

"And it started to rain, I lost my keys and Merle let me stay the night. Put the gun down!" She reached for it, but Andrea pushed her back, knocking her over.

Merle stood up, leaving the plate on the table and he met her eyes. "First thing, Blondie, the safety's on. Second, if you ever come into my house with a gun, you'd best pray that safety's off, and you'd best have good aim." He pushed by her. "Go home."

Andrea lowered the gun. "Nothing happened?"

"Nothin' happened," he promised.

She exhaled. "I'm sorry, Amy. I'm reall—" Amy smacked Andrea's hand away when Andrea reached down to help her stand up.

"Don't." She stood up. "You can't come home for my birthday, but you come running when I stay the night with someone who you don't like?"

"Let's not talk about this in front of strangers," Andrea said softly.

"Oh, don't let me stop y'all now." Merle took the pack of cigarettes and sat down. "Continue."

Andrea glared. "We have to go. Dale wants to see you."

"I'll go see Dale then, but not with you. I'm still mad at you."

"Fine, okay. Go see Dale, and we'll talk later." Andrea offered her a smile. "I still have your birthday present."

Amy smiled for Andrea's sake. "Okay. Put the gun away, please."

"All right. I'll see you tonight." She turned and walked out, but she waited for Amy at the end of the driveway.

She sighed and grabbed her phone. She'd taken her other clothes to the car that morning, so her phone was all she needed. She picked up her bottle of apple juice and kissed Merle, long and slow. She smiled warmly at him. "Goodbye." She walked out and closed the door behind her.

Merle felt a shiver run down his spine for an unknown reason and shook his head. It was probably from having nothing to drink the previous day. Damn, he needed a beer.


End file.
